Sands Collide: Gaara and Yukina
by KiunoNamu
Summary: Yukina sees a young red-haired boy, lost and alone, as her friend. He sees her as his salvation. Yukina promises she will never leave him. He swears to always protect her. She wants to save him from his pain. He wants to prevent her from experiencing any. In a world of friendship, longing and love, she desires to be at his side as he waits for the day she will run...
1. A Friend Found

**Hello Everyone! I'm new to this site and this is my first story, so let me know what you think! I have been reading some amazing stories on here and a few that have been incomplete, which is so disappointing because they are so good! So my promise to you is that I will indeed finish all my stories.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters, but Yukina, Seki, Haru, and Sota are all mine.**

**I hope you enjoy! Please review and let me know what you think! Thank you!**

* * *

"Where are you going?" Yukina's mother inquired after seeing her run down the stairs towards the door.

"I'm gonna go play at the playground!" she replied cheerfully.

"Alright, just don't be gone too long okay?"

"K" Yukina ran from the house, taking a left, running straight towards the playground.

Yukina was only six years old and was quite popular among the other children, she enjoyed playing ball and hide-n-seek within the village. She was short for her age, had long brown hair and Sapphire eyes. People commented on them a lot since they were so unique. She couldn't understand why adults always ogled over them.

Arriving at the playground the other children immediately greeted her. They were kicking around a white ball and laughing merrily. Yukina noticed a boy around her age swinging by himself on the other side of the playground. He clutched a small teddy bear in his arms. He watched them and seemed like he wanted to play, but remained where he was. Curious, Yukina pulled one of her friends to the side, away from other in the group.

"Yoko, who is that?" Yoko looked in the direction Yukina had indicated and inhaled sharply.

"That's Gaara" she spat with distain. Yukina looked at her confused.

"You know, the Kazakage's son? The one with the monster in him?"

"He doesn't look like a monster to me."

"My parents said to stay away from him, he's dangerous and scary."

Yukina and Yoko joined in with the other children again, but she could keep her eyes from drifting in the direction of the boy named Gaara. Maybe she should go talk to him? Suddenly one of the boys kicked the ball and it soared high into the air and landed on the edge of the cliff.

"Now what are we going to do?" One of the children complained

"I don't suppose anyone knows any wall climbing Jutsu do they?"

Yukina was about to step forward when sand wrapped itself around the white ball and carried it from the cliff, down into the boy's hand that had been swinging. Hesitantly he stepped forward and offered them the ball.

"It's Gaara!" The children yelled and began to run. Yukina watched after them and remained where she was. She stood back from the children as they ran past her.

"No, wait!" He called after them. Suddenly sand shot forward and wrapped around a couple of the children. They screamed and called for help. The sand tightened around them and violently shot towards the children. An adult ran in front, blocking the sand.

"Gaara, stop!" Immediately the sand stopped and the man standing before Gaara had blood dripping from his arm and forehead. Yukina observed as Gaara looked apologetic and saddened further. He backed away towards the swing, clutching his teddy bear, shaking slightly.

The children all followed the adult, who Yukina didn't know. She remained where she was, none of the other children realizing that she wasn't following. She again looked at Gaara and decided she would talk to him. She approached slowly, not wanting to startle the boy. He was about the same size as she was, so she guessed he was the same age.

She got an idea, smiling she pulled the sand around her and drifted it towards the boy slowly. She too could control the sand at her will and found it appealing that another outside her family had the same ability. He took notice and watched the sand, almost afraid. She formed the word "Hi" within the grains. Gaara turned in his swing to look at her, his eyes wide in surprise.

Unsure of what else to do, Yukina picked up the ball with her sand and smiled at Gaara, "Do you…wanna play?"

Gaara starred after her, "You…aren't scared of me?" Yukina looked at him; she could tell he was lonely.

"We all need a friend, right?" she again smiled at him.

Gaara smiled in return, staring into her Sapphire eyes.

_Beautiful..._

"Your eyes... are really pretty."

Yukina smiled, "Thanks."

"Wha... what's your name?"

"Yukina."

"I'm Gaara."

Yukina used her sand to toss the ball towards Gaara, he too used his sand to catch it and tossed it back. They played with the ball in the air, twirling their sand around it to keep it up. Gaara began smiling and laughing along with Yukina. It was a fun game. Once they were exhausted the two sat on the sand panting and laughing.

"How can you control the sand?" Gaara inquired.

"It's a rare trait from the people of my clan. There is usually only one every few generations that is blessed with the gift. I'm glad to know there is someone else who can control the sand too. How do you do it?"

Gaara's face fell, "I don't know, the villagers say-"

Yukina interrupted him, "Don't mind them. You're nice Gaara." Yukina again smiled at him.

Gaara was delighted, this was the first person who had ever played with them and smiled at him. He really liked her.

"Let's be friends from now on okay?"

"Friends?" Gaara looked to her in surprise.

"Yeah!" Yukina held her hand out to Gaara. He starred at it, then took it and they shook.

"Let's promise to always be there for one another, okay?"

Gaara's face lit up with a huge smile and he nodded, "Okay"

Yukina looked at the darkening sky, "Well, I have to head home now."

"Do you have to?" His voice trembled slightly. Yukina looked at the boy. From the pained expression on his face, she could tell he wanted her company.

"Yeah, my mom will worry if I'm out too much longer," She saw his face fall, "but I can meet you tonight on the rooftop over there if you want! I can sneak out." Gaara's face lit up then.

"Really!" He was delighted that someone wanted to spend time with him.

"Sure! I'll see you later!" Yukina waved and headed off towards her home, watching the boy wave back. She had made a new friend today. Her mother had always told her to help people and be kind to them. She smiled, her mother would be proud.

"I'm home!" Yukina shouted as she took her shoes off at the door.

"Your late." Her mother scolded.

"I was playing with a new friend."

"Oh, what's their name?"

"His name is Gaara." Her mother froze.

"Gaara…the Kazekage's son?" Her voice sounded frightened.

"Yeah."

"He didn't hurt you did he?" Yukina looked at her mother confused.

"Why would he hurt me?"

"You have to stay away from him Yukina, he's dangerous."

"But-"

"No Buts, you are not to play with him again, do you understand me?" Yukina nodded, she could see it on her mother's face. The same look all the children gave him.

_They are all afraid of Gaara, but why?_

"Why is everyone so scared of him?"

Her mother sighed and hugged her, "He is a monster and could seriously hurt anyone around him. Please promise me you won't play with him again."

Yukina only nodded. She ate her supper in silence and headed up to her room.

_I won't let him be alone, we promised to be friends and always be there for one another._

Silently, Yukina jumped from her bedroom window. She often headed out at night because she liked to look at the moon and stars. She headed towards the rooftop and laid back, waiting for Gaara. Time went by and she began to think he wasn't going to be able to make it. Suddenly she heard a shout and sat up. She could see sand whirling in the distance violently. She didn't know what to make of it. Then she heard a roar and before she could think a giant creature stood before her. It was fearsome indeed. Sirens began to go off and people were screaming. She watched the chaos frozen in fear, was this… the monster everyone was afraid of? Was this the creature inside of Gaara? She remembered hearing a name…

Shukaku.

Suddenly Yukina was grabbed from behind and the person jumped from the roof carrying her in his arm, running in the other direction. She looked up to see one of her parent's longtime friends.

"Where are we going?" she asked quickly.

"Your parents have instructed me to get you out of the village safely." The man replied darkly.

"They aren't coming?!"

"They will follow behind later; they have to help secure the village from the Shukaku." A blast hit them from behind and Yukina blacked out.

**#**

When she woke up, her surroundings were quite different. Instead of chaos and turmoil she was sleeping in a bed. The walls of the house were made of sand, so she figured she was still within the sand village.

"Yukina? Are you awake?"

"Yes." Yukina watched as the same man from the night before entered into her room. He had bandages on his arms and head.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I was hit from behind with a kunai paper bomb that had recoiled from one of the Shukaku's attacks."

"Where are we?"

"A few miles from Suna, in a little village towards the west."

"Have you heard from mother and father yet?"

"Not yet, the village is stabilizing after last night's attack, we should have word by sundown through."

"What happened?"

"The village's Jinchuriki lost control and the Shukaku escaped from his prison, but he managed to get it under control before the entire village was destroyed."

Yukina gasped, "Is he alright?"

"Who?"

"Gaara."

"The host?" she nodded, "Unfortunately he survived." Yukina winced at his sharp words.

_So he doesn't like Gaara either, am I his only friend?_

"Seki!" She heard two other children yell from behind him. They appeared behind him, tugging at his robes. He acknowledged them.

"All three of you are going to remain here for a long time."

"Why?" Yukina inquired.

"I'm going to train you three to be fine Shinobi."

"Shinobi?" Yukina whispered. She had always wanted to be a Shinobi.

"Yukina, this is Haru and Sota. They will be your teammates and you three will function together as a squad."

Sota had short brown hair and an exciting demeanor. He was jumping up and down on the balls of his feet yelling Shinobi, Shinobi over and over again. It was quite irritating and Yukina didn't get upset easily, even Seki looked slightly frusterated. The other boy, Haru, seemed quite relaxed. His hair was black and a little longer. He watched Yukina closely, almost as if he were analyzing her.

"When do we begin!" Sota exclaimed excitedly.

"Now. Yukina, get dressed, your clothes are in the pack at the foot of your bed." Yukina nodded and did as she was told once the boys excited the room.

_I've always wanted to be a Shinobi. Everyone who has ever had my family's ability has always turned out to be a great Shinobi, maybe I could even be Kazekage someday! _

She smiled inwardly at herself.

Yukina ran outside and joined Seki and the other boys for some basic ninja training lessons. He was talking about Chakra flow and the different elements when they were interrupted by a messenger. He looked very tired.

"News?" Seki asked. The messenger nodded.

"There were many fatalities in the village and several are injured. We have a lot of repair work to do. The Jinjuriki is still alive and seems to be in control of the beast right now."

Yukina approached the man, "Are my parents on their way?"

The man looked down at the child with saddened eyes, "Yukina… your parents were killed in the line of duty… I'm sorry."

Yukina's eyes widened and she took a step back. She could hear Seki and the others trying to talk to her, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.

_Killed? …. But they are supposed to be here… I'm alone now… just like him… did Gaara kill them? No, it was that demon Shukaku, not Gaara. Gaara was her friend wasn't he?_

Yukina felt the earth spin around her and before she knew it, she once again fell into the blackened world of unconsciousness.

* * *

**Will Yukina be able to forgive her new found friend for what he has done? How will Gaara react when he discovers he was responsible for Yukina's pain?**

**I really hope you liked the first chapter! Please review and let me know! Thank you!**


	2. What is my purpose?

**Okay, I know this chapter is really short, but I had to get Gaara's point of view after the attack.**

**Author's note: I had to fix this chapter due to some misinformation for the rest of the story... :)**

* * *

Gaara stared at the mass of chaos before him. The villagers were gathering bodies and taking them to a mass grave site. Buildings had been torn completely down and several more villagers were still helping to save those trapped in the rubble. No one had come around him all day and he didn't expect them to.

_What have I done?_

He remained in his room, hidden from the world as sobs raked his body. He knew Shukaku had taken over his body. His grief at losing his uncle and finding out his mother had never loved him had been too much.

_Why am I here?_

Why did the sand have to protect him? The villagers would be much happier if he never existed. His mother would still be alive and perhaps his father and siblings would be happy. He caused everyone so much misery. Even his own brother and sister refused to be around him. They treated him just as the villagers did. Their eyes full of fear.

_What is my purpose?_

Gaara exited the Kazekage's building and walked behind what was left of the destruction, avoiding the villagers. He noticed the place where the playground had been and remembered something…

_Yukina… Had she gotten hurt?_

Gaara frantically turned towards the building rooftop they were supposed to meet the previous night. His heart skipped a beat.

It was gone… the entire building had been torn down by Shukaku's wrath. Gaara knelt in the sand and grabbed his head. What if he had killed her? His only friend? What if he had hurt her? Had she truly been waiting for him? Maybe not, maybe she had stayed home. Gaara suddenly felt someone behind him and turned to look.

His father…

The man, who had never truly been a father to him looked down with hate filled eyes. Gaara knew his father had tried to kill him, but the sand would not allow Gaara to be hurt.

"Are you looking for the girl?" Gaara's eyes opened wide as he realized his father was referring to Yukina. If he knew about her, then perhaps she was still alive!

"Don't look so surprised, it is my job to know what is going on in my own village." Gaara took a tentative breath in.

"Is she…" Gaara couldn't finish his sentence. His father continued to look at him with that cold stare.

"She's dead, Gaara, you killed her."

Gaara's eyes flew open wide and tears began to fall as he watched his father walk away from him. He began to sob violently, his body shaking.

_Why? Why her!?_

Gaara continued to kneel in the sand, no one around to comfort him, he was truly alone. His mother didn't love him, his father didn't love him, even his uncle never truly loved him and now he had killed the only person who had ever smiled and said hello. The only one who had treated him like another human being.

_Yukina…_

Those sapphire eyes would forever be burned into his mind.

_What is my purpose?_

* * *

**Gaara thinks Yukina is dead, will he remember her when they finally meet again?**


	3. Konoha

**I hope your liking it, please review to let me know your opinions!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any affiliated characters**

* * *

Yukina sat on her bed staring at her hands. She had lost everything. Her parents were all she had in the world, the rest of her family already dead. She had never felt this type of loneliness before. Growing up had been relatively normal. She had a loving mother and father just like everyone else…

_Except him… _

_He knew that loneliness… _

He didn't even have any friends to comfort him and yet how did she feel about him? Did she blame him? Could she blame him for something he couldn't control? How was he feeling now?

She felt another tear trickle down her cheek.

She longed for him, for someone who understood to comfort her…

"Yukina?" Sota asked tentatively, standing in the doorway. Yukina glanced up at him, her eyes red-rimmed with tears. It had been three days since Yukina found out that her parents had been killed. She remained in her room and no one had disturbed her except for Sota. He was unusually quiet, bringing her food and water occasionally. Today was the first day he had spoken his silence.

"Yes?" She managed to whisper, her voice choked.

"Do you… wanna come train with us today? Seki is going to begin our lessons." Yukina returned her eyes to her hands.

"I…" she trailed off.

"Seki says it would be good for you." Sota approached her; he gently sat on the bed beside her and took her hands in his.

"It'll be alright Yuki." Yukina couldn't hold it in any longer; she threw herself at Sota and again began to sob. Sota held her, stroking her soft brown hair, allowing her to cry into his shoulder. After about an hour Sota left her room with Yukina walking slowly behind him. He never made fun of her, or asked her any questions. He was simply there for her.

They arrived outside to meet Seki and Haru. Seki straightened when he saw Yukina.

"Alright, today we will begin your ninja training." He looked at Sota asking questions about Yukina with his eyes. Sota just nodded indicating for him to proceed. They began learning about Chakra as they had three days before. Seki spend the next week explaining many things about the ninja world to the three children. They then proceeded to Chakra control and learning hand signs, although they didn't actually perform any Jutsu for a long time.

Six years passed…

Sota always remained at Yukina's side, pushing her and guiding her along. He was her best friend. Sota would allow Yukina to talk to him. She spoke to him about Gaara and how she felt about the boy. Sota voiced his concerns about him being dangerous, but didn't question her friendship with him. He simply listened. Haru worked with them too, but he wasn't as close to the two of them. Sota just understood Yukina and didn't need words to do so.

Yukina's skills developed immensely. She developed her Taijutsu to perfection and had incorporated her sand into each movement. Every time she threw a kick or punch her sand would react with the blast, causing her opponent to be hit twice.

Seki had originally told her she would be a long distance fighter because of her ability to manipulate sand, but she had refused. She wanted to be face to face with her opponents, fighting them on equal terms. She felt good when she was training.

Sota was often her sparring partner. He kept up with her in battle and had learned her techniques enough to block each one and fight her on equal terms. He also favored Taijutsu, but also used many earth style techniques.

* * *

Yukina and Sota stood facing each other, ten yards between them. The sand swirled around her as she took her stance.

Sota made the first move, he jumped, throwing three Kunai and vanished. Yukina blocked them easily by throwing a wall of sand in front of her. Sota reappeared behind her, throwing a kick towards her head. Yukina whirled, blocking the kick with her metal forearm bracer; she then grabbed his leg and flung him in the opposite direction. Sota regained his balance with a hand spring and shot at her again.

He formed a few hands signs, slammed his hands into the ground and yelled, "Mud Slide!"

Waves of mud and sand flew towards Yukina. She jumped into the air, landing on a small patch of sand she was now controlling. Sota again used earth style to launch himself into the air and collided with Yukina's fists again.

They fought, dancing around one another for several minutes before Yukina saw the opening and took it.

She slammed Sota in the face, causing him to lose his balance and fall from their airborne fight. His hand reached towards Yukina as the ground quickly came towards him. Before he hit, he felt something wrap around his body, slowing him to a stop before depositing him onto the ground.

Yukina lowered herself and offered Sota her hand. He took it gratefully, but fell forward wincing in pain.

"Sota, what's wrong?" Yukina asked in alarm. He was no longer putting any weight on his right leg.

"Well, I'm not sure the shin is meant to collide with your metal bracers Yuki." Yukina winced as she remembered the hit, but he had continued to spar so assumed he had gone uninjured.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

He shrugged, "In the moment and didn't notice it much I guess." He smiled at her. Yukina wrapped Sota's arm around her shoulder and supported his hip with her other arm. They limped back to their little home.

Seki saw them coming and ran towards them, "What happened?" Yukina and Sota looked at one another.

"We were sparring and Sota's leg collided with my bracer." Seki smiled and indicated for them to come inside. He sat Sota down and pulled the fabric of his pants up to the knee. Already a very large, blue and black bruise was beginning to form on Sota's shin.

"I'll go get some ice. You will have to stay off of this for a while." Seki stood to leave.

"You alright Sota?" Yukina asked worryingly.

"Course I am Yuki, don't worry. I'll be back to normal in no time!"

* * *

Because of her ability Yukina was able to fight both long distance and short distance. This gave her quite an advantage on missions. It seemed to annoy Haru that Yukina did the majority of the work on missions through. He would always complain.

"Hey, Yukina, how about letting me fight every now and then?"

Yukina smirked, "Sorry Haru, I guess I just get carried away." Haru grunted and walked ahead of her and Sota.

"He's grumpy today." Sota observed.

"He's always grumpy." The two laughed together quietly. It had been six years since the three of them met. She was now twelve years old and a Genin. Yukina wanted to become a Jounin and get strong enough to protect everyone in the village.

Most of all she wanted to protect him… Gaara…

What had been happening to him all these years? She was never permitted to return to Suna, none of the children were. They were on a very strict training regimen and there was no time to discuss returning to their homes. She would become strong enough to return home and then keep her promise to always be there for him.

_Has he made new friends? Does he remember me? What will I say to him when we meet again?_

Questions flooded Yukina's mind.

Once the three arrived home Seki called for them to meet in the main room. The three children had all been sharing a house, each with their own room.

"We have an important mission for you three coming up." Seki announced.

Sota perked up, "Really, what is it?"

_Sota is always ready for anything._

"We just got back." Haru complained.

"Yes," Seki continued, "But this mission is different. It is A ranked and extremely important."

The three leaned forward listening intently.

"The sand and the sound village have gotten together and formed an alliance. We will be targeting the leaf village soon and you three will be on the inside as spies. You will be ready to assist us once the attack begins."

"Won't that start a war?" Yukina asked.

"Not if we take over them quickly. Suna could really benefit from all the supplies Konoha has to offer. We wouldn't need to worry about our water supply anymore, or the attack from an enemy village. With the sound and sand allied, we would be stronger than any of the other hidden villages."

The three of them nodded, but Haru questioned, "Are we expected to infiltrate their defenses alone? We are only Genin."

"No, you will be accompanied by two squads from the sound and another from the sand. You will be participating in the Chunin exams and will enter the village without hassle. All you have to do is wait for our signal to begin."

"So, were all Genin."

"Yes, except for me and the other team's squad leaders."

Haru spoke again, "No disrespect Sensei, but how do you expect twelve Genin to help during the invasion?"

Seki smiled, "Because you will have the sand's ultimate weapon with you. We will use him when the time comes and unleash his power. He will single-handedly destroy the leaf village, enabling us to take over."

"Ultimate weapon?" Yukina inquired.

"Yes, you will meet him and his team in Konoha. You are not to engage with them through. I hear he is very ill tempered and will kill you without a second thought. We also don't want to raise suspicion within the village, so be sure you don't engage with the sound ninja either."

The three again nodded

"When do we leave?" Sota asked.

"Tomorrow morning."

Yukina returned to her room, her heart pounding.

_Can it be him? Are they talking about Gaara? Could he really be the sand's ultimate weapon?_

Yukina shuttered at the thought of Shukaku towering above her. The creature had been fearsome indeed. How would she react seeing Gaara, knowing the monster within him had killed her parents? Surly she couldn't blame him? It wasn't his fault.

Yukina steeled herself, no she wouldn't blame him, she wouldn't do what all the other villagers did. They all feared him and that was why he didn't have friends to begin with. She wouldn't do that to Gaara. They had promised to always be there for one another after all.

_"Will he even remember me?"_

She had wondered the thought aloud.

"Will who remember you?" Yukina turned to see Sota standing in her doorway. She flushed slightly, a little upset that someone had been listening in.

"No one." She replied.

"Alright, well Saki just wanted me to tell you that we will be leaving before sunrise to get a start heading to Konoha, so get ready." She nodded and he left. This would be the best trip of her life.

* * *

Yukina, Sota, Haru and Seki ran through the desert at an even pace. They had left Suna before sunrise and expected to arrive in Konoha in three days. The three were clear about their mission. They were to infiltrate Konoha and wait for the battle to begin. Yukina didn't like the thought of war, but if it would benefit her village then she guessed it was okay. She was still just a child after all, what did she know about war?

Yukina was more excited about the prospect of seeing her old friend

_Gaara…_

_How much has he changed? Will he remember me?... Of course he will! I was his first friend after all! If he's traveling with a team, then he must have made other friends as well._

She smiled inwardly, she was happy for him, he deserved friends.

As they traveled the terrain began to change, although there was still sand, at least for now. More plants and trees began to appear and the temperature dropped.

Seki spoke as they sat around a fire one night, "Konoha is very different from Suna. They are surrounded by a forest, the air is cooler, but thicker and your footing will be more solid, therefore you should be able to move faster. This being said, Yukina," He turned towards her, "You may have a more difficult time, your sand will be harder to obtain because you will have to separate it from the soil and minerals in the ground."

"Sensei, don't worry, I have my Taijutsu and have prepared myself." Seki nodded to her

Once they entered the forest, Yukina realized what he had been talking about. The environment was indeed different. Yukina practiced pulling the sand from the ground. It was more time consuming than difficult. She could easily get enough to block a few kunai if she had to.

Once they saw the village Seki stopped her, "Yukina, I don't want you to reveal your sand techniques until you have no other choice. The less the enemy knows about our abilities the better." Yukina nodded in agreement, "I have told Sota and Haru the same."

Yukina's heart was now racing, the adrenaline of being assigned an A ranked mission was almost overwhelming, but knowing she would finally be able to meet him again was the real reason for her excitement.

"Alright, I must go inform the village of our arrival and take care of some paperwork, you three are welcome to wander around the village, but be sure you are back by sundown."

Their Sensei had shown them to their rooms at a local hotel. Seki, Haru and Sota shared a three bedroom, while Yukina was given her own. Sometimes it paid off to be the only girl.

Sota and Yukina walked around the village to explore, while Haru headed to the weapons shop. The village was amazing. There were little shops all over and everyone seemed to be having an amazing time. There were several people who glanced at them, but smiled as they walked by. Apparently people were accustomed to seeing ninja from a different village due to these exams.

The two stopped as they heard some commotion nearby, shrugging to one another they decided to check it out. The two jumped onto a rooftop, keeping their distance. They didn't want to interfere in the villagers private affairs, they had been told to lay low.

Before them stood a blonde woman with a large fan on her back and the boy beside her had some sort of mummified pack with hair tuffs sticking out. His face was covered in purple paint, but what bothered Yukina was him holding a young boy by the collar of his neck. Upon closer inspection Yukina nudged Sota, "Look at his headband, he's from Suna!"

Sota stared, "What the Hell is he doing?!" I thought we were supposed to lay low." A blonde boy was shouting at them and charged them recklessly. From a tree Yukina watched a raven-haired boy toss a pebble at the one she now knew as Kankuro.

Suddenly she heard a voice and they all froze, even Yukina. The voice was deeper, stronger, but it was him. A red-haired boy hung upside down from a tree branch, arms crossed, staring at the commotion below. Yukina couldn't understand everything they said, but it was very clear the girl and Kankuro were afraid of the redhead. They backed away from him and Kankuro quickly made excuses for his actions. They all three turned to leave.

_Why would they be scared of him?_

Images of the village children flashed into her mind. How they all called him a monster and ran from him when he tried to play ball. She could see the stares the adults gave him and how they made it plainly obvious he was unwelcome.

_Nothing has changed after all… perhaps they were forced on his team, maybe he still doesn't have any friends to turn to._

Yukina's heart ached.

She stood and Sota watched her carefully, "Was that Gaara? The one you have spoken of before?"

Yukina nodded, "Yeah."

"Be careful around him Yuki, he could have changed from the person you once knew. It's been six years and that much isolation can have a huge impact on a person's character."

"I'm gonna go talk to them."

"Yukina." His voice was a warning. She stared at him with an unwavering expression.

He signed, "I'm coming with you."

Reluctantly she nodded in return. It only took a few minutes to locate Kankuro and the woman, but Gaara wasn't among them. They jumped from the roof, landing in front of them.

"Who are you?" the woman questioned, automatically reaching for her fan, she stopped once she noticed the headbands, "Oh, you're from the sand as well? Are you the group from the training grounds?

"Yukina nodded, "I'm Yukina, this is Sota and our other member is Haru. He is otherwise engaged right now."

"I'm Temari, this is Kankuro, and… ," she hesitated, "Our other member is Gaara…"

"Where is he? I would like to speak with him." Temari's eyes widened and she looked at Kanuro fearfully, "Why do you want to speak to him"

"We're old friends."

Temari shifted uncomfortably, "Gaara… doesn't have any friends," Yukina's smile faded, "Kankuro and I are his siblings and he doesn't like to talk to anyone. He would probably kill you for trying or kill us letting you get to him. Trust me; it's in your best interest to avoid Gaara at all costs."

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! What will happen next? Will Yukina finally get the chance to talk to Gaara, or will she take Temari's advise and avoid him?**


	4. Guilt

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any affiliations with it.**

* * *

Yukina laid on the rooftop, staring at the stars. The sky was clear, with a faint breeze blowing.

_No friends, no family that cares for you, how have you coped with all that pain?_

Yukina felt slightly guilty, if she had ran from the training grounds she could have snuck to visit Gaara every now and then, but she was too afraid she would get lost in the desert. He seemed genuinely happy the day she had played with him. Although it had only been a few hours, it had made a huge impact on her life. She knew there were people out there that didn't have anyone to look after them or help them to laugh, or hold them while they cried and Gaara had been one of those people.

* * *

She walked with Haru and Sota to the first examination area. Upon entering she immediately spotted the redhead and decided to observe him before she approached. He always seemed either bored or irritated with everything that was going on.

They took their seats, the first examine was going to be a written one, no wonder he seemed bored. After the instructions she realized it was all a test about gathering information, they had to cheat without getting caught. Yukina looked down at her paper and was able to answer the first four questions without any problems. That was all she needed, she didn't need to risk exposing her Jutsu just to get a perfect score on her test.

She glanced at Sota, he was busy scribbling down notes, as was Haru.

_Good… They would all be alright then._

After the examination and the loud, obnoxious Naruto Uzumaki had voiced his opinion for everyone to hear, an annoying instructor rolled into the room and lead them to their second challenge… The forest of Death.

_What a name…_

The trio got through it quickly and without incident. The team they battled were not very experienced and Yukina wondered if their Sensei had really thought through letting them take the Chunin exams. They had beaten the trio within minutes with only Yukina and Sota using Taijutsu. The three had handed them their scroll willingly, almost in tears.

They were the second team to arrive at the designated building. Gaara and his team were there waiting. Haru gave her a fierce look when she indicated she wanted to approach them.

_He can be so darn mean sometimes!_

Their next test was going to get exciting. She would finally be able to put all her good training to work. Before the battles of the Chunin exams they would have to fight each other in a preliminary round, one on one to determine who would be moving onto the next challenge. Apparently, there were too many of them to participate in the final battles.

Yukina again spotted Gaara and watched him as he stared at nothing and no one. She hoped she wouldn't have to fight him. If she did, she would be forced to reveal her sand and that was supposed to be kept a secret. She at least wanted it to remain that way until the final rounds. He seemed very strong now, she would probably have a difficult time fighting him, especially since he carried his sand on his back.

Yukina watched the fights progress without too much interest. She took mental notes about each person's abilities, knowing that some of them could prove to be a real challenge to her, like Neji for example. Those eyes were going to be tough to beat. She silently wished the Naruto kid had lost, his loud mouth was heard by everyone and he didn't seem to care what they thought, his enthusiasm had almost gotten the other Hyuga member killed.

Finally, Gaara's name was called, she watched him slowly walk down the stairs to face his new opponent, but the air around him didn't seem right, that look in his eyes…

He seemed ready to kill, almost hopeful, this wasn't the Gaara she had imagined…

The battle began and Yukina watched it intently. It seemed like Gaara had the upper hand for a while, then the ninja named Lee took extremely heavy weights from his legs and began to fly at Gaara.

_Seriously, he was going to try fighting the matches with his legs weighted down?_

Yukina was now standing, leaning over the rail in anticipation. This didn't go unnoticed by Sota, who playfully elbowed her in the ribs. She smiled at him as she watched the match. Gaara couldn't keep up with the boy's speed, and then it happened; Gaara was struck; he skidded across the ground and Yukina's blood boiled. She didn't want to see Gaara hurt in any way.

Much to her and everyone's surprise he had an armor of sand around his body and thus had suffered no physical damage. After a long battle Gaara finished the boy by crushing his arm and leg. It was quite brutal to watch.

Lee's Sensei jumped in front of Lee before Gaara could deliver the final blow.

_He was actually going to kill him…_

Gaara walked back to stand with Temari and Kankuro who regarded him with fearful eyes.

_What has happened to you Gaara?_

The Hokage announced they would be fighting the Chunin exam rounds in a month to allow time for them to train and become stronger. There were several competitors for this upcoming competition and it made Yukina excited.

* * *

Yukina went off on her own, telling Sota and Haru she would catch up later. She needed to perfect separating the sand from the ground if she were to fight on equal terms with Gaara. His sand had an impenetrable defense that reacted on its own. Her sand did not react the same, which confused her. She had thought their abilities were similar, but it seemed he used specific sand from the Gourd he carried around with him. Perhaps it was infused with his Chakra, or maybe it was that demon, Shukaku's doing. Although Lee had gotten through it, but that was due to his speed. She would have to increase that too. She was sure Gaara and her would have to face off in the final match.

_That's fine, perhaps he will have recognized me by then… or not._

She thought back to what Temari had said.

_Maybe he just didn't care anymore. And who could blame him after how he has been treated. No one cares for him so why should he care for them?_

Yukina sighed, she was determined to change his mind about the world. To let him know that someone did indeed care for him.

* * *

Yukina pushed herself hard for the next week. She could summon her sand much faster and even implemented a plan to carry the sand around with her underground. She could have it already there at the start of the Chunin exams.

Sota came to train with her for the next few weeks and even Haru joined them, which was a rare occurrence.

Haru's style centered on lightning attacks, but he too was trained in Taijutsu. They had all agreed, it was best to learn this extensively in case their Chakra had ever worn down.

"I don't like those sound ninja." Haru said.

Yukina replied, "I agree with you, but we have to work with them for now. Hopefully we won't have to deal with them too often. I know we are in an alliance, but there is just something about them I don't like."

The night before the exams Yukina went on a walk. Sota had offered to accompany her, but she had declined saying she needed some time to herself. She continued to walk down the villages main road. The sky was beautiful, the moon full and the air was so fresh. It was so much different from the freezing nights in the desert. All the villagers had turned in for the night.

Yukina stopped, noticing a figure sitting on the rooftop above her.

It was him. He was facing away from her, gazing at the starry night, his arms folded in their usual manner.

_Gaara… Should I… go talk to him?_

Yukina took a silent step forward, but hesitated. He wouldn't recognize her in the dark, the moon was bright, but not bright enough to outline the features of a friend you haven't seen in over six years. She continued to stare, until he turned.

His sea green eyes met hers and she froze. They were so full of hatred and bloodlust. There was no recognition in his face. He disappeared in a whirl of sand and reappeared in front of her, smiling with evil intent. Her heart beat quickened as she realized he was coming after her.

His sand shot forward, fully intent upon killing her; she had no other choice, she immediately threw her own sand shield up, covering her face with her arms as his exploded around hers.

She could hear his gasp; slowly lowering her sand, she watched him carefully. There was a different look in his eyes now.

Surprise? Confusion? She couldn't tell.

_What is he thinking? Does he know who I am now?_

Before she could react further she heard people coming.

"Gaara!" An older man yelled at him, "Stop this now! The exams are tomorrow!"

Sota was at her side then, seemingly appearing out of no where "Are you alright?" He stared at Gaara with threatening eyes.

Once the older man saw who they were he directed his angry attention towards Gaara again, "Gaara, these are your comrades from the sand, why would you attack her?!"

Gaara didn't respond, he simply continued to stare at Yukina, his expression still somewhat surprised and shaken. She felt a little uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

"Let's go Yuki." Sota whispered only loud enough for her to hear. She turned away, his sea green eyes still gazing at her, never wavering. Sota had whispered her name so Gaara couldn't hear, but she was sure he recognized her now. Why else would he stop attacking her? It wasn't his Sensei's doing. That man was just as scared of him as those kids had been the day her and Gaara met.

Sota guided her by the arm, far away from Gaara and his Sensei, then turned on her, "What the hell where you doing?! He tried to kill you!"

"No." Was Yukina's only response. Sota just stared at her.

"Then what do you call-"

"He stopped," she interrupted him; "I think he might remember who I am."

Sota sighed, "Why is he so important to you Yuki? Why does one day matter so much, it's not like you knew him for years or anything."

"Because it mattered to him," Sota just stared at her as she continued, "You should have seen him Sota, how lonely he looked, how upset he was that the other children didn't want to play with him. His face when he saw me say hello for the first time… It was like no one had ever talked to him before. The smile he had when we were playing and the hurt in his eyes when I said I had to go home."

"Yuki…"

"I wish now I wouldn't have left him that night. I wish I would have just taken the scolding from my mother, perhaps I could have been the one to prevent him from releasing Shukaku that night."

"Yuki, you do know he is responsible for your parents-"

"NO," she said more forcefully than she meant, "I won't blame him for something he can't control. I won't be like all the other people in the village who look at him with distrust and hate just because he was chosen to harbor a monster. What if I had been in his place? How can I blame him for something like that Sota?!"

"I don't know," He faultered, "I… I never really thought about it like that."

"Exactly, no one ever has, that's why it's so important to me, I have to be the one person that keeps him from the darkness he is experiencing now. I don't know everything, I don't know what has happened in the last six years, but one thing I do know is that he is alone and I won't let him be alone any longer. The fact that he hesitated tells me the Gaara I knew is still there."

Sota sighed again, "Alright Yuki, I get it, but if he ever attacks you again I will not hesitate to go after him. You are like my little sister and I won't risk losing you."

Yukina was touched by his words and hugged him. Sota had never experienced a life of tragedy. When the Shukaku had attacked the village, his parents had left and never returned. They allowed him to train as he wanted to and lived on the outskirts of the village. They would come to visit him every now and then and would write letters often.

Haru on the other hand was there for very different reasons. His parents sought power and if you weren't a powerful Shinobi, then you weren't worth anything in their clan. He trained hard day and night to obtain that power so that when he returned to his clan he could prove himself. All the children were taught in this manner that wanted to be Shinobi. They lived within the village and were often members of the ANBU team, protecting the Kazekage and going after rogue ninja. Yukina guessed he seemed so cold because he couldn't allow himself the luxury of friends. It saddened her.

* * *

**Gaara's POV**

He watched as the boy pulled the girl back and whispered something to her. Who was he? A comrade? Why would he stop her from fighting him and why did he stand in front of her, willing to take on the battle himself? What was wrong with all these people?

He only cared for himself, he didn't need anyone, in fact if it weren't for the rules that a three man squad was required for the Chunin exams, he wouldn't have had Temari or Kankuro there either. They annoyed him, always pulling him back, just like now. His Sensei stood there, afraid as he always was, trying to convince him to stop.

_She had used sand… He was the only one who could use sand… except her, but she was…_

Gaara shook his head, no it couldn't be her, but even then his mind was slightly hopeful. In the dark he couldn't see her eyes to tell for sure, if she had _those_ eyes then he would know for sure, but if it had been her, then surly she would have called out to him. Surly if she were still alive she would not have let him spend the last six years alone. They had made a promise after all…

_No… it isn't her and if I have to fight her tomorrow, then she will be the one to satisfy my thirst for blood…_

He didn't care about the mission. He didn't care what happened to Suna, they didn't care for him. The only reason he was still there was because they couldn't assassinate him due to the sand. He had never been hit before the Preliminary's. It's too bad he couldn't have killed that annoying kid and his Sensei, but he would. In the mist of the attack he would kill whomever he wanted.

He had to focus on his next target through; he wanted that boy, the Uchiha…

* * *

**Author's note: I didn't feel it was necessary to go through each detail of the Chunin exams, we all know what happened so I just added Yukina's view.**

**Also, I haven't received any reviews yet, so please let me know how I am doing and whether or not you like the story so far. **


	5. Sea Green Meet Sapphire

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Yukina accompanied her team to the battle arena where the Chunin exams were to take place, but she couldn't focus. The only thing on her mind was Gaara.

"We will be sitting away from the other sand team due to last night's… incident." Seki stated, looking at Yukina. He put emphasis on the word "incident" like it was her fault.

_What had she done wrong?_

Yukina shot Sota a menacing look, but he just shrugged it off. Of course he had told Seki, he worried too much about her, but Sota had always been a little over-protective.

Yukina didn't bother watching the first few rounds; she was on alert, as was the rest of her squad. The attack on the leaf village would be starting any time now; they had to be ready for the signal. Gaara's battle with Sasuke had been delayed due to Sasuke's lateness. Anyone else would have been disqualified by now, but apparently this was a match everyone wanted to see. This kid named Sasuke Uchiha was quite the talk among the nations. Apparently he was one of the last in his clan.

His match had already been delayed a few times now, if he didn't show up this time, they would postpone it again and it would be her turn to fight. She hoped he would show. Yukina wasn't focused right now; she didn't want to head into a battle, she wanted to have a conversation with Gaara. To ask him so many questions…

Just as Sasuke was about to be disqualified, they appeared.

_Finally…_

Him and his Sensei Kakashi, apparently had some troubles arriving on time. The boy looked different from a month ago. His hair had grown out and his Chakra felt different… stronger… more focused. He had definitely been training for this match.

Now Yukina was interested.

She watched Gaara head down towards the arena. He seemed exhilarated. The look on his face told her he had been looking forward to this fight for quite some time. An evil smile made its way to his lips.

The Shinobi in charge of the fights told them to begin and jumped out of the way, Gaara didn't waste any time, he immediately started pouring sand from his gourd and the Uchiha jumped back.

_A smart move on his part…_

Gaara began to act strangely; he grabbed his head and started mumbling things that didn't make a lot of sense. He was talking about blood and his mother?

_Has he lost it?_

The Uchiha gave him weary look. Yukina looked towards the stands where his siblings and teacher were standing. They too had a worried expression on their faces. The plan was to use Gaara as the ultimate weapon, but surly that didn't mean releasing the Shukaku right in the middle of an arena where many innocent people were gathered?

Gaara's sand suddenly dropped and his expression changed back to normal, he looked towards the Uchiha and stated simply, "Come, on."

Yukina relaxed a little

_Good, he's back to normal now._

Gaara began the fight with a sand clone. The Uchiha coming after him, throwing Shuriken and using his Taijutsu. He too was fast, just like the other kid Gaara fought and sure enough he landed the first blow, sending Gaara across the stadium.

Yukina's heart jumped into her throat, this wasn't going to be an easy match for Gaara. This kid was so much different from his last fight, where he had appeared to be in pain the entire round.

Gaara sat up and glared at the Uchiha, he looked angry.

The Uchiha stood ready for him, waiting for Gaara to move. When he didn't Sasuke decided to attack first, he dodged the sand Gaara threw at him and managed to kick Gaara again then returned to a standing stance ready for yet another attack.

He charged and ran circles around Gaara, just like Lee hand done. He was incredibly fast. Sasuke again ran at Gaara and managed to land several blows.

_Come on Gaara, do something!_

Gaara sat on the ground panting, watching, and waiting.

He formed a hand sign and the sand rose in a dome around him, completely closing off the outside world. The Uchiha raced towards him, but stopped suddenly as spears of sand launched out from the sphere. His cheek and leg were slightly cut. And his knuckles bloodied. Gaara's famous impenetrable defense had been activated.

Yukina couldn't see Gaara within the confines of the sand.

Above Gaara, sand began to form and a brown eye emerged. She looked towards Temari; his sister had absolute dread written all over her face.

_What are you planning Gaara?_

After staring at the sand for a while, the Uchiha grew impatient and decided to move. He raced towards the sand throwing three Shuriken, then went at it with his fists, avoiding the sand spikes that shot out at him from all directions.

Again he stood facing the sand barrier. He seemed to be contemplating a strategy. He put his hands together and jumped up the wall of the arena. He formed several hand signs and lightning appeared in his hands. A chirping sound emitting around him.

Sasuke flew down the arena wall, running at an incredible pace towards Gaara, gaining even more speed as he descended. Spikes again shot out at the Uchiha, but he thrust his arm into the dome and went straight through it.

The sand's defense had been broken.

Yukina stood suddenly, a silence settling over the arena.

_Had he been hurt?_

She couldn't see…

An ear splitting scream filled the air and Yukina had her answer; it was Gaara's voice screaming about his own blood.

Yukina's heart beat quickened.

_He's hurt._

Sasuke struggled to free himself, again using the lightning attack and jumped backwards, away from the sand.

There was a huge, grotesque arm that followed him from a hole in the sand dome. Yukina knew what it was.

It was that monster, Shukaku.

Would he get released again? Was that the plan of the sand and sound village? To release Gaara's monster and destroy the entire village, civilians and all?

Everyone stared in horror as the arm retracted back to the dome. His brother and sister's faces were more fearful than ever.

Yukina didn't know what to do, should she interfere? Was Gaara okay?

Suddenly the dome cracked and melted away, revealing an injured Gaara. He was holding his shoulder and panting heavily.

Yukina watched as the people around her began to fall into a trance, she released herself from the Jutsu since she had been expecting it. She nudged Sota and Haru to do the same.

_So, it's finally begun…_

A bomb went off in the arena and Hell broke loose, ninja appeared from everywhere and the fighting commenced. Several Jounin fought, guarding the civilians, while several more ANBU ran towards the Hokage.

Yukina watched as Temari, Kankuro and their Sensei jumped down to join Gaara, another Jounin joined Sasuke.

Gaara fell to his knees, holding his head, apparently he had expended much of his energy and wasn't able to release his Jutsu.

Seki yelled, "You three, assist Gaara and his team, get them away and help him recover! We need Gaara for this mission to carry out successfully!"

Yukina noddd and immediately ran after Gaara and his siblings. They had taken off through the forest, with Sasuke in close pursuit.

Yukina chased after them, and heard explosions in front of her; perhaps they had taken care of Sasuke quickly. But the Uchiha was smart, it wasn't likely he would be taken down so easily.

The three were suddenly attacked from the side, Sota and Haru blocked the enemies' weapons. They all three stopped to face their new adversary.

"Go on ahead Yuki! Haru and I can handle this!" Sota yelled.

"Are you sure?"

Haru spoke then, "Trust me Yukina, we are more than capable of handling these two."

Yukina nodded and sped forward, the assalents tried to launch Kunai at her, but Haru blocked them.

Yukina continued until she came upon a battle.

She saw the man with insects fighting Kankuro and decided to go around them to avoid drawing attention. It would take some extra time, but engaging in an unnecessary battle would take even more. Yukina didn't care about Kankuro, he was just another coward of the Sand, she wanted to see if Gaara was alright.

When Yukina arrived on the scene it took her a minute to assess the situation. Sasuke was on a tree limb writhing in pain, Naruto stood frozen in place, seemingly stricken with fear, which was out of character for him, and Sakura sat beside the Uchiha, hovering over him protectively. What caught her attention though was Gaara.

He was only half Gaara though, the other half had been transformed, was this part of the Shukaku? He growled like a fierce animal and Yukina cringed.

_This is wrong, Gaara shouldn't be doing this!_

Suddenly Gaara lunged at the Uchiha, Sakura jumped in front of him, but Yukina was quicker. She launched herself in front of the girl without thinking. She couldn't just let Gaara kill these kids. We were supposed to take over the village, not slaughter everyone, right?

Gaara noticed her before she got to Sakura and quickly slammed his arm into her back, throwing her into a tree, he then grabbed Sakura and pinned her to another tree, knocking her unconscious.

Yukina could barely breathe; she had been hit with an immense amount of force from behind and was dead stopped by a tree from the front. Darkness threatened to take her, but she couldn't let it, she had to help these three and bring Gaara out of his trance.

She heard their speech in muffles, her ears ringing; her visio blurry as she lay on the ground, her face in the dirt. It went on, their voices sending pulsations through her mind.

Suddenly there was a huge crash, Yukina rolled over and managed to look upon the monster looming above her.

It was Shukaku…

_He's here again…_

She slowly began to close her eyes, and then another explosion happened. She thought Gaara was responsible for the noise, but come to find out it was Naruto who had summoned a huge toad!

They led the battle away from Yukina, Sasuke and the trapped Sakura.

Yukina forced herself to sit up, everything in her body ached. She was sure several of her ribs were broken and cracked, but she had to save that girl.

Yukina used her Chakra to stand and slowly walked up the tree, stumbling. She reached the girl, but the Uchiha appeared before her, he too was in pain, but was standing much better than her.

"I won't allow you to touch her, sand ninja." He took a fighting stance, his body trembling.

"Wait," Yukina held up her hand, "I'm not here right now as your enemy, let me help her."

Sasuke snorted, "You are with that monster! Why would I let you anywhere near her?!"

"Because she might die if you don't. The sand is compressing her chest and crushing her diaphragm; she won't be able to breathe much longer if you don't let me help her."

Sasuke glanced behind him, it was clear; Sakura's breathing had slowed down to a dangerous level. Reluctantly, Sasuke moved to the side.

"I swear, if you hurt her, I will end you here."

Yukina stumbled forward, "I understand." She knelt before the girl and concentrated on pulling the sand from the ground. She used it to wedge between Gaara's sand. It was very strong and had a firm grip on the girl. She pushed as hard as she could, trying to get some space.

Sakura suddenly took in a breath, "Get her now!" Yukina yelled through gritted teeth. She couldn't hold it much longer. Sasuke quickly obliged and pulled Sakura from the sand. Yukina then let it collapse against the tree. She wrapped her sand underneath herself and lowered to the ground. Sasuke joined with Sakura a moment later.

"Why did you help us?" He inquired

"I couldn't bear to see your friend get killed… the helplessness of not being able to help someone you love… it's just too much. I… I guess I would hope someone would help me in the same situation."

Yukina grabbed her ribs as she coughed, blood trickling from her mouth. She looked up to see the Shukaku shatter and both boys fell into the trees.

_Gaara…_

Sasuke and Yukina both watched as their comrades attacked one another and fell to the forest floor. Yukina stumbled to her feet. She had to get to him. She watched Sasuke jump and gently lay Sakura on a tree branch beside a dog, he then headed in the direction of Gaara and Naruto. She couldn't let Sasuke get there before her. He might kill Gaara.

Yukina pushed herself, jumping after him, pain searing through her sides and chest. She couldn't match the Uchiha's speed. To her surprise through he was kneeling beside Naruto when she arrived. She jumped in front of Gaara, eyeing Sasuke wearily as he spoke to Naruto.

"It's okay Naruto, Sakura is safe." He turned his gaze upon Yukina.

"Don't fight them." Gaara spoke behind her. She again looked at the Uchiha and they both nodded to each other. This would mean they were even.

Yukina mustered what was left of her strength to drape Gaara's arm over her shoulder. She dashed into the forest, needing to escape this battlefield. Everyone was hurt, she didn't know what was going on at the village, but at this point they would be no help.

After a few minutes Yukina stopped and leaned Gaara against a tree, he was hurt, exhausted and had used up his Chakra.

He raised his head, his gaze shifting up to her face and finally sea green met sapphire…

He stared, eyes wide and trembling.

"Gaara…" Yukina breathed.

_Does he know who I am? Does he remember me?_

"Are you…," He hesitated, "Yukina?"

She smiled at him, relief flooding through her, he did remember, "The very same."

A smile crossed his lips, the first she had seen since the exams had started.

Yukina was suddenly hit from the side, as someone forcefully tackled her to the ground, the piercing pain shocked through her entire body; she rolled, and kicked her new opponent in the gut, then pushed herself up on all fours, her body was too weak to stand.

She had to protect Gaara…

Sota and Haru appeared in front of her in that instant, Sota was badly wounded and Haru had cuts and scrapes all over his body as well. They had been battling fiercely. Before she could react the four ninja were launching themselves at one another. Yukina now recognized them; they would kill one another if she didn't intervene. She mustered the last of her Chakra and forced a wall of sand between them, pushing the four ninja apart.

"What gives Gaara?" She heard Kankuro yell.

"It wasn't me."

"Kankuro, Temari, Sota, Haru, stop this. We're not enemies." The four looked at one another for the first time.

Temari spoke, "It's you." All four of them relaxed. Temari ran to Gaara, to assess his wounds. She was clutching her stomach.

_She must have been the one who tackled me_

Sota turned his attention to Yukina.

"What happened to you Yuki?!" Alarm in his voice caused Haru to turn and quickly kneel beside her. He placed his hand on her back, causing her to cry out slightly. He immediately took his hand away.

"Yukina, what's wrong?" Haru asked.

Yukina again coughed and clutched her sides. Haru gently grabbed her shirt and lifted it from the back.

"What are you-" Sota cut himself off as he saw the black bruise that covered her lower back and spread around to the front of her body beyond their point of sight.

"Yukina, what happened?" Haru asked, anger in his voice.

"It's fine… it was an accident." She choked out the words between gritted teeth.

_Dame this hurt!_

Sota growled, "Did he hurt you! I swear I'll-"

"Sota!" Sota turned back towards Yukina, his eyes softening, "This isn't the time to discuss this right now. Does anyone know what is going on in the village?"

Temari answered, "Yes, and I'm afraid we've been tricked. The Kazekage is not our Kazekage. I don't know who he is. We aren't sure about all the details right now, but Baki Sensei told us if something went wrong we were to meet him back in Suna."

"Alright." Yukina tried to stand, but lost her balance, an arm caught her. It was Haru.

"What are you-"

"Just relax Yukina, you are severely injured, I will carry you back to Suna." Yukina was slightly taken back, "Jeez Yukina, you don't have to look so surprised, we are on the same team you know."

Yukina smiled, "Yeah, I know."

"I'll take Gaara, Temari." Kankuro wrapped Gaara's arm around his neck and the six started off towards Suna.

Gaara spoke for the first time in a while, "Temari, Kankuro… I'm sorry." The two siblings looked surprised and glanced at one another. It was Kankuro who answered.

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

The trip back to Suna was long, everyone was exhausted from the battle, they didn't have many provisions, and both Gaara and Yukina had suffered extensive wounds.

Once arriving in Suna, they were greeted by both of their Sensei's. Baki and Seki approached them on the outskirts of the village.

"I'm so glad to see you all are alright!" Seki exclaimed. Upon seeing Yukina he offered to take her, which Haru gladly allowed. He had carried her for five days. "Come on, we need to get you to the hospital."

Yukina hated hospitals, but with her wounds, she knew she had to go, Gaara would be headed to the hospital as well, or would he? She was disappointed when the siblings all headed towards the Kazekage's building.

Yukina was home, finally, after six years she was home. She allowed sleep to take over.

* * *

**Please review and let me know what you think! Please, please, please! Thank you!**


	6. I missed you

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**I really hope you like this chapter, I've been working hard on it. :)**

* * *

Yukina's eyes slowly fluttered open as she began to regain consciousness.

_Where am I?_

She couldn't make out her surroundings, her vision was too blurry. She tried to move her body, but it felt like a lead weight. She had no energy at all.

A familiar hand wrapped itself around hers.

"Hey Yuki." She recognized Sota's gentle voice. Of course it was him, Sota wouldn't leave her side.

"Hey Sota." Her voice came out in a whisper. She tried to inhale, but sharp pain shot through her torso and around her back. She winced and shifted uncomfortably.

"Take it easy Yuki, they said you have several broken ribs, a broken collar bone and are bruised up pretty bad."

Yuki tried to remember what had happened. Her mind was a little fuzzy, perhaps it was the medicine they had been giving her, although she needed more of it if their intention was to keep her out of pain. Slowly the memories came back. They had a mission to the leaf village to overtake it, but everything had fallen into chaos. A pink haired girl was being attacked and...

Yukina suddenly remembered something, her eyes flying open, now fully awake.

"What about Gaara!?" Sota looked a little taken aback by Yukina's sudden alertness.

"I don't know," he shrugged, "he never came to the hospital, he went home with his siblings."

_Never went to the hospital? But he was hurt!_

"If I ever see him again Yuki, I swear I'll-"

"Sota," Yukina interrupted him, "He didn't mean to hurt me."

"Didn't mean to hurt you! Look at you Yuki! Your in a hospital bed barely able to move and your trying to tell me it was an accident! This is the second time he has attacked you!"

"You don't understand, he didn't know who I was either of those times. He didn't recognize me. I was the one who jumped in front of the girl he was fighting anyway."

"I won't forgive him." Sota growled.

Yukina sighed, "Please Sota... he's... important to me."

Sota gritted his teeth, but didn't say anything else on the matter. Yukina could tell he was very angry. It would take a lot to build any trust between him and Gaara.

Yukina changed the subject, "How long have I been here?"

"You've been out for three days."

_Three days?_

"That would explain why I'm starving."

Sota's mood lightened, "I'll go find a nurse to see what you can eat and to get you some more pain medicine."

"Thanks."

Yukina settled back into her bed, trying to get as comfortable as possible.

_Gaara._

He had recognized her. He had smiled and been happy to see her when their eyes met. That hatred she had seen so often during the exams had completely faded away. She smiled, there was nothing that made her happier than to see his smile.

Yukina winced slightly as she tried to take a deep breath in. She could have done without this pain.

_It's your own fault stupid; you shouldn't have jumped in front of that girl._

_What were the medical ninja doing anyway? Couldn't they just heal her?_

Sota returned with some soup and with a nurse's help Yukina sat up. Sota had offered to feed her, but Yukina laughed at him.

"I'm not completely helpless Sota."

Sota chuckled a little, but assisted Yukina as she held the bowl to her lips. The soup was just broth. The nurse didn't want Yukina eating a heavy meal since she hadn't eaten in three days. Getting sick would not be in her best interest, given her current condition.

"Why can't the medical team just heal me?"

"Most of them have been sent to Konoha to help the wounded. Those who remain are helping others whose injuries are more severe." The nurse replied.

Three more days past…

Night fell and Yukina was restless, she couldn't take it anymore. The doctors didn't want her to leave the hospital for another few days. Something about pneumonia and watching her for lung infections; She had to get some air, if she didn't then she was going to suffocate and a lung infection would no longer be an issue.

The hardest action Yukina tried was to sit up from the bed. It was difficult to do so without using the muscles in your torso. Once up, she guided sand in through her window, opening it and climbed upon a little sand disk, forming it into a chair so she could sit up. She guided herself through the window, which required her to lie down again. Luckily she was just small enough to squeeze through. She then went to the rooftop and let the sand fall away from her as she took a seated position by a chimney.

She looked up and inhaled, the sky was breathtaking, the crescent moon shown in a cloudless sky, reveling the stars around it. She looked over her village. She had not seen it in six years and to her surprise not much had changed. Even through it had been torn apart six years ago, the village had been rebuilt exactly as she remember it. In the distance she could see the playground and not far from it, her old home…

_Mom…Dad… I miss you…_

She didn't realize how empty she'd feel when finally returning to her village without her parents. This place held so many memories…

"You should be resting." Yukina started and grabbed her ribs as she tried to turn towards the voice.

"Gaara…" She breathed, he walked into her line of vision, staring directly at at her. His arms were crossed in their usual manner. His expression didn't give it away, but his voice told her he was irritated.

"Why are you out here?" She felt like a child being scorned.

"I just needed some fresh air, that hospital room is too stuffy." She watched at his eyes moved to where she had been clutching her side. Pain crossed his face then. He seemed about to speak, but changed his mind, instead shifting his gaze to the stars.

"What is it?"

_What is he thinking, why is he so hard to read?_

After a very long pause he finally replied, "I don't want to badger you with questions right now… your... recovering."

"Gaara…" The tone of her voice made him turn his head back to her.

"I've missed you…" Surprise once again crossed his face, as he continued peering down at her. He opened his mouth a few times, but seemed unable to form words. His gaze then shifted towards the ground as he struggled to reply.

"Why." His voice was barely a whisper.

_Why? What did he mean why? Didn't he miss me?_

"What do you mean?" She decided to ask directly. Gaara kept his gaze away from her, not answering the question.

_Does he think I don't care? Does he think I abandoned him? Yes... that must be it, he thinks I left and therefore doesn't regard me as a close friend any longer. He thinks I broke our promise._

"Gaara... I'm sorry... I-"

"You died."

_Died? When?_

His fists balled, Yukina was stunned.

"What?!" Yukina's outburst was far more than her body could handle. She grabbed at her sides with both hands and felt tears threaten to spill over. Gaara was at her side in an instant. He knelt beside her, but made no move to touch her.

"I told you, we don't need to talk about this now, your injuries are severe, you shouldn't even be out here-"

His sentence cut off as Yukina stared directly into his eyes, her gaze intense, "What made you think I died!?" Gaara hesitated and backed away a little. Their closeness making him feel uncomfortable.

"Six years ago…I… lost control... Shukaku…" He trailed off and stood, taking a few steps away from her. Yukina remembered the night, the night her parents…

She cleared her mind.

"I know… I remember." she whispered

"My father told me I had killed you." Gaara's expression was hidden from her, but she could sense the pain in his words. The guilt they carried.

Yukina couldn't speak at first.

_Why would his father say such a thing?_

She sat contemplating in the darkness, then it it hit her.

_Of course... he wanted to see how Gaara would react, to see if he could make Gaara lose control. To see if Gaara could be used as a weapon… His own son._

"I'm alive." She stated simply, trying to make her voice a little more cheery.

"I'm sorry." He stated suddenly.

Yukina stared after him in confusion, "For what?"

"I... caused your injuries."

"It's fine," She smiled at him gently, "it was my own recklessness."

"No," He spoke again suddenly, "I injury everyone...," His mood suddenly shifted. "I won't bother you again, but you should really go back to your bed and rest." He began walking quickly to the edge of the rooftop

_Won't bother me again? Did he think he was being a burden?_

"I rather like your company." She said quickly, trying to prevent him from leaving. She didn't want him to leave. She wanted to talk to him, to find out what had happened in the last six years.

He stopped mid stride, turning his eyes toward her. Their eyes met and she could now see sorrow... It had replaced the anger she was so used to seeing.

_Was he really just going to leave?_

Familiar words came back as he spoke, "You mean... after everything you've seen... you're not afraid of me?"

Realization hit Yukina. He thinks I'm afraid of him because I witnessed the attack on the village six years ago and saw the demon first hand in Konoha.. He thinks I'm afraid like all the other villagers are, like his siblings are. He thinks that by hurting me, he no longer has a friend.

"Gaara…" She spoke gently and met his gaze, "Everyone needs a friend right?" The words must have hit him deeply. The words she had spoken to him so many years ago came flooding back. The feelings of joy as they played ball alone in the playground. The laughter of those few hours. The bond they had created.

"Friend?" He asked tentatively. Yukina smiled, she brought her sand around her and slowly lifted herself up, she slipped suddenly on the roof, but her body didn't impact on the hard surface because gentle, strong arms had grabbed one side, while sand had grabbed the other. She was gently lifted to her feet. He began to protest, but she offered her his hand. He stared at it blankly.

"Let's promise to always be there for one another."

"Yukina," He spoke her name, almost fearfully, his eyes downcast, "You don't have to force yourself to..." Sand gently wrapped it's way around his hand and led it to hers. He clasped his hand in hers and met her eyes.

"Gaara, do you really think I'm afraid of you?" Gaara hesitated, searching her eyes for some indication of fear, some sign of loathing, but he could find none. "I won't leave you this time, I was only a child then and didn't have much say so in where I was to live, but I'm older now, I have a choice and I'm choosing to stay here with you."

Gaara nodded slowly, disbelievingly.

Yukina smiled, "I promise Gaara."

Her legs had begun to shake from standing and Gaara took it upon himself to have her sit on a bed of sand. He was careful about moving her.

"How bad are they?" He gave her a worried look.

"What? My wounds?" He nodded, "Well, I'm severly brusied both front and back and have broken several ribs and my right collar bone. Fortunately I was lucky enough to avoid any internal injuries or punctures to my lungs."

Gaara downcast his eyes, but Yukina spoke before he could, "Don't blame yourself Gaara, I'll be fine. I'll be up and running again in no time at all!" She made her voice as cheery as she could manage to assure Gaara she would be alright. It seemed to work as he relaxed a little. He guard was always up through.

After a long silence Gaara spoke again, "Have you gotten the chance to see your parents?"

Yukina's heart caught in her throat. She hadn't expected him to ask any questions let alone anything about her parents.

_He doesn't know... What should I say? I can't tell him, he already blames himself enough for my injuries and he would likely pull away..._

Gaara noticed her silence "Yukina?"

"They died a long time ago."

"I'm sorry..." He seemed uncomfortable.

"It's alright."

They both continued to gaze at the stars in silence.

Gaara suddenly stood, turning a fierce gaze behind Yukina, "Show yourself." He stated loudly.

"Yuki?" Yukina sat up slightly, again wincing at the movement.

"Sota? Is that you?"

"Yeah."

Then it happened, Sota saw Gaara standing there, right beside Yukina and rage filled his eyes.

"You!" He growled. Sota launched himself at Gaara, attempting to punch him in the face, but Gaara's sand barrier blocked his attack. Sota again tried to come around with a kick, but again it was blocked.

"Sota!" Yukina cried, causing ripples of pain to rake her body. He didn't stop. He continued his assault on Gaara. Sand wrapped itself around Sota's body encasing him.

"Let me go you Bastard!"

"It's not him." Sota turned his head towards Yukina. One trembling hand was reaching towards him.

"Yuki?"

"Please, don't fight. I couldn't bear the thought of losing either one of you." Sota gritted his teeth as he again looked at Gaara. Yukina felt his muscles relax within the confines of her sand and she released him.

"What are you doing here, it's so late." Yukina asked. Sota shifted his body towards her. Gaara had already made his way back to Yukina, standing over her protectively.

"I came by to check on you and you weren't in your room." Yukina noticed Gaara's continued tense stance and placed a hand on his arm. He jumped at her touch, met her gaze and relaxed a little, his gaze returned to Sota.

"What are you doing up here?" He approached them, much to Gaara's dislike.

"Getting some fresh air."

"You're supposed to be resting Yuki." This was the second time she felt like a scolded child.

"I am resting, I just can't stand to be in that horrible hospital bed any longer."

Yukina watched as the two boys continued to stare each other down. Neither moving.

_Great, now I'll have two teenage boys fighting one another for my attention. What kind of mess have I gotten myself into now._

Yukina chuckled, sending another round of fiery pain through her ribs. She doubled over.

_Man that really freaking hurts!_

"Yuki!" Sota jumped towards her, placing his hands gently around her, slowly lowering her back onto the bed of sand. Gaara watched apprehensively.

"Why are you laughing? You're in no condition to be all giddy, you're lucky to be alive!" Sota exclaimed.

"I'm laughing because the tension between you too is almost palpable! Just relax, the other one isn't going to bite you or harm me!" she looked at both boys, who looked at each other in turn. They both visibly relaxed just a little.

Gaara didn't trust Sota for the simple reason that he didn't trust anyone, but Sota was another story. He didn't trust Gaara because Gaara had hurt her in more ways than one. He didn't like Yuki being hurt. Like she had said before, he was a little over-protective.

"Well Gaara, if she wants us to talk to one another, how about we agree on one thing." Gaara inclined his head to indicate he was listening, "Let's get her back into her hospital bed." A small smile crept across Gaara's face.

"I agree."

Yukina's face crumbled, "That isn't fair. You can't gang up on me like that!" She pouted as Gaara's sand gently lifted her back toward her hospital room window and into her bed.

* * *

Gaara remained on the hospital roof even after Sota left the hospital, contemplating the words Yukina had spoken to him.

_"I missed you... I rather like your company... Let's promise to always be there for one another...Friends..."_

He didn't know what to think of Yukina's words, but they made him feel...good. He felt concerned for her well being. He wanted to protect her and keep her from pain. Maybe this is what Naruto felt towards his friends, maybe this is what it meant to have a friend. Gaara had never had any friends except for Yukina, but she had died, or rather disappeared...

_Why did she leave?_

He hadn't gotten the chance to ask her that. She had mentioned not being able to chose where she lived so did her parents move after the attack? Many others had, at least temporarily.

He remembered her face, sitting there staring at him. There was no fear in those Sapphire eyes, no sign of hatred. She didn't look at him like everyone else did. She didn't have those eyes.

He remembered Sota's reaction when he had seen Gaara beside her.

_He wants to protect her too. He must also be a friend._

If being a friend means protecting those close to you then Gaara would do so.

_I swear, I will protect you Yukina..._

* * *

**Okay, I worked really hard on this chapter, going over it a few times, I really hope you liked it. Leave a review to let me know. Thanks everyone!**

**I'll be posting the next chapter soon.**


	7. Haru's Feelings

Three weeks after leaving the hospital Yukina, Sota and Haru decided to explore Suna. Sota hadn't let Yukina leave the house, claiming she needed to continue resting. Not that she would have been able to do much anyway; she was still very sore. She could walk around now without too much discomfort. The doctor had told her to wait another three weeks before she started training again. Yukina couldn't wait, her body ached from sitting still for so long. They were in search of a little sit down restaurant when a familiar flash of red caught her attention.

"Gaara!" Yukina yelled smiling and waving her arm. Both Sota and Haru looked at her surprisingly, followed by their looks turning cold

"Yukina, what are you doing?" Sota whispered. Yukina gave him a smile, but didn't reply. Sota just pouted, while Haru seemed to remain indifferent, yet guarded.

Gaara turned, as did Temari and Kankuro. His two siblings looked surprised when Yukina approached them. She hadn't seen Gaara in three weeks, but she guessed it was more Sota's doing. He had kept her cooped up to "rest".

"Hey, how have you been?" Yukina inquired to Gaara. Temari and Kankuro looked at her a little stunned. They seemed more relaxed around Gaara, but it was clear they didn't expect anyone else to speak with him.

"I've been well." He replied in his usual fashion.

Yukina turned to Temari and Kankuro, "Hello again."

Temari answered, "Hi, What are you guys doing out and about?" She inclined her head towards Sota and Haru who were now at Yukina's side. Sota was on complete defense staring Gaara down. Gaara pretended not to notice.

"Well actually, we were just trying to decide where to have some lunch. We haven't been to the village in over six years and didn't know where to go. These two," Yukina indicated behind her, "Have kept me locked up in the house for the past three weeks to recover so we haven't gotten the chance to explore yet."

"Oh, well if that's the case, why don't we join you? We know this little barbeque place right over here," she turned her attention to Gaara, "As long as it's okay with you Gaara." Temari asked him tentatively, almost fearfully, but it was clear the relationship between brother and sister was building.

"That sounds fine." Yukina thought she saw the faint hint of a smile on Gaara's face. Was he happy they were all going to lunch together? Sota on the other hand couldn't have been sulking more.

He nudged Yukina as they followed the three siblings, "Did you really have to invite them?"

"Don't be rude Sota, Gaara is my friend and it's only right to have his siblings along."

"I don't mind the siblings, it's him I mind."

Yukina turned on Sota, but kept her voice to a whisper, "Look Sota, your going to have to deal, just be nice okay?"

He signed and they continued, but Yukina could tell he was tense. Haru walked beside them, seemingly in the same mood as Sota.

_I guess he doesn't like him either_

Could she blame them though? It was Gaara who had caused her injuries. Even if he didn't mean to, her two friends didn't know him well enough yet so she couldn't expect them to like him right away. Haru and Sota were also aware that Gaara had killed her parents. She had asked them to keep that bit of information to themselves, to which they obliged. They didn't like to bring her parents up anyway because it upset her.

The little barbecue restaurant Temari had told them about looked fantastic. They got a large booth for the six of them and Temari explained her favorites on the menu, Kankuro joined her and before long the whole table was buzzing about food. Sota and Kankuro seemed to hit it off pretty well and they even had Haru smiling, which was a rare sight to see.

Yukina looked up from her menu to notice Gaara staring at her.

_What is he thinking?_

She smiled, which caused a little surprise to appear on that otherwise expressionless face.

They all ordered when the waitress came around, she was frightened of Gaara, but very friendly regardless. Idle chat continued even after they got their meals. They started talking about Kankuro's puppets and the whole conversation shifted to center around that topic. He explained how they worked and how proud he was of them.

"So are you two together?" The question was sudden and caused everyone to quiet down as Temari stared at Sota and Yukina.

"What?" Yukina asked a little stunned.

"You and Sota. You two seem to be really close so I just thought you might be a couple." Yukina and Sota turned to stare at one another. The entire atmosphere of the table had changed. She could even feel Gaara's eyes on her as everyone waited for an answer. Yukina couldn't hold it back any longer. She burst out laughing and Sota joined her. She grabbed her sides and the table to keep from falling over. Haru smirked a little, while everyone else just stared at them, not really sure what the joke had been.

Yukina calmed herself enough to speak, "Are you kidding!?"

"Yukina is like my little sister, I couldn't date her!" Sota practily yelled through his laughing.

Temari and Kankuro joined in then and even Gaara couldn't repress a smile.

The meal ended with light talk about different battle strategies, where the three had trained and why they had come back to the village. Once leaving they said their goodbyes. The siblings had been summoned by the elders of the village for a mission.

"See you later." Yukina waved.

"See, that went smoothly didn't it Sota?" She winked at him.

"Yeah, I guess so." He put his hands in his pockets and pretended to pout, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face. He had had fun. Haru smiled at them too.

* * *

Another week went by and Yukina decided to begin her training again anyway. Her doctor would just have to deal with it, although she would start light. She hid from Sota and Haru so they couldn't yell at her. Gaara had been called out on a mission with his siblings to help the leaf. Apparently they were having some problems with the Uchiha kid being kidnapped or something. Ever since the attack they had been looking for an opportunity to make amends with the leaf village. Both villages had lost their leaders and where in some disarray.

Yukina smirked, "We'll be waiting years for the elders to decide on a new Kazekage." The Kazekage was usually decided by the decendants of the previous Kazekage, but all three of them were much too young. They wouldn't choose Gaara for the simple reason that they didn't trust him and she wasn't sure Kankuro could handle such a job. He doesn't really seem like the Kazekage type. Temari could probably handle it, but like she had said, they were all much too young.

Yukina spent the next two weeks in light training. She practiced hard, but allowed her body ample time to rest between sessions. She was sad for Gaara to be gone, but he was harder to dodge than Sota and wouldn't have allowed her to train at all.

_Gaara, when are you coming home?_

The following evening, sand came to interrupt her training session. She smiled inwardly at herself, knowing full well who it was.

"I didn't think you had been released by the doctors." Came Gaara's stern voice.

Yukina smiled, "Actually, I was only on a two week restriction and after seeing my progress, the doctors have agreed I can begin my training again." She looked up to see Gaara floating on a disk of sand. He dropped to the ground beside her.

"How did the mission go?" Yukina asked.

"Not well, the Uchiha boy has been taken by Orochimaru, but we prevented any casulties."

"Orochimaru? The one who organized the entire assault on the leaf?"

"The very same."

Yukina went to sit beside an abandoned building, grabbing her water and taking a long drink. She had already been out training for about an hour. It was near dusk, she didn't dare train outside in the desert heat in the middle of the day. Gaara came to join her, sitting a short distance away. It didn't escape Yukina's notice.

_He's trying to make sure he doesn't make me uncomfortable_

"So are you going on any more missions soon?" Yukina asked.

"I don't know. I've been enlisted with the regular forces so I could go on a mission at any time."

"Really? Why did you volunteer for that?"

"To get others to trust me."

Yukina smiled, "That's great Gaara."

"I want to become the next Kazekage." He said suddenly. Yukina couldn't hide the surprise on her face.

_Kazekage?_

"I want..." He seemed to struggle to find the words, "I want to be like him, to have people need me."

_Him?_

"You mean that Naruto kid?"

He nodded

"You already have people that need you Gaara." He looked at her questioningly. "You have your siblings, and it seems like your relationship with them is building and of course you have me to." She smiled at his surprise reaction.

_Will it always be like this? Is he always going to be surprised that someone actually cares about him._

He remained quiet as they sat there watching the shadows grow longer as the sun went down.

"Well, if you want to become Kazekage, then I think some more training is in order," Yukina stood, "What do you think Gaara? Do you want to start training together? Since our abiliites are similar I figured we could both learn a lot from one another."

Gaara's face fell slightly as he responded, "I won't risk hurting you again."

Yukina was again surprised by his reaction, "Gaara, it's just sparing, it's not like were going to full out fight or anything."

"But you could get hurt by me."

"Haven't you ever spared with anyone?"

"No one usually volunteers, not since my father." Yukina's mood shifted slightly, she wasn't sure how Gaara felt about his father and whether or not it was a sore subject. She jumped on her tiptoes then with renewed vigor. Yukina held out a hand to Gaara. He stared for a moment and decided to allow her to help him to his feet.

"Come on, I promise neither one of us will get hurt."

"How?" He looked at her disbelievingly.

"Remember that sand clone you made while fighting the Uchiha kid?" He nodded. "We'll start there, that way you can see I'm quite able to defend myself."

Gaara relaxed slightly then, if he were fighting a clone, then he wouln't be risking the real Yukina's safety and therefore could fight willingly.

"Fine, let's go."

* * *

The two continued to train together for a few months. She kept Sota and Haru in the dark about it. They would completely freak out if they knew she had been training alone with Gaara. It took a while before he began sparing her one on one. He was always hesitant, afraid to cause her harm again. She proved herself to him. Proved she was able to defend herself and attack him with ease. This made Gaara relax slightly as he began growing bolder with his own attacks.

"Gaara." She called out to him after a long hour of intense sparing.

"Yeah?"

"Use sand burial on me."

"What?!"

"I want to see if i'm able to break it."

"No." Yukina wasn't surprised by his small clipped response. He didn't usually give explanations to his decisions.

"Come on Gaara, I won't let you hurt me." He seemed to think about it for a while before finally giving in.

"Fine, but the moment your resistance falters I will stop the Jutsu." Yukina nodded and watched as sand slowly gathered around her. She felt it encase her entire body and immediately began calling upon her own sand to surround herself. She had developed a system and was sure she could break his clutch by pushing her own sand outwards, against his. Yukina focused, she could feel his grip tighten slowly, monitoring her movements within his sand's confines. She had to hold her breath. The sand completely immobilized her.

* * *

Haru couldn't believe what he was seeing. He watched from a distance as Yukina and Gaara stood facing one another and before he knew it she was encased in sand! He knew what that sand was capaple of, he knew how quickly it acted. He remembered the kid in the green jumpsuit at the Chunin exams. Haru feared he wouldn't make it in time, if he killed Yukina...

"Let her go you bastard!" Haru quickly formed hand signs and sent a wave of water roaring towards Gaara. He had to hit him hard and fast, otherwise Yukina would be done for. Haru watched as the scene before him slowly unfolded.

* * *

Yukina heard sudden commotion outside as the sand's grip began to wane. As it slipped past her eyes Yukina could see Haru angrily running at Gaara, a wave of water going before him.

_What the hell is going on!_

Yukina threw a wall of sand up between Gaara and Haru.

"Stop it!" Haru turned to stare at her, he seemed surprised and tried to stop his assult, but it was too late, his wave of water crashed violently against her sand wall. Yukina used every ounce of strength she had to hold it together. She had already depleted a lot of her Chakra from training with Gaara. Her sand grew heavy and crumbed, Gaara had already moved from his spot, anticipating the water breaching the wall. Yukina was panting heavily and had to catch her breath before she spoke.

"Haru, what are you doing here?" She couldn't hide the anger in her voice.

"I thought..." He looked from Yukina to Gaara and back again. "I saw the sand around you. I thought you were in trouble."

Yukina placed her hands on her hips, "We're just sparing Haru."

He didn't reply at first. He only turned his attention to Gaara and glared at him, "Don't you think that was a bit extreme for a sparing match?"

"Yukina answered before Gaara could, "I asked him to do that particular Jutsu so I could try something out." Haru only nodded, but continued his glare at Gaara. "Did you need something Haru?" Yukina finally asked him a little irritated.

"I...actually was looking for you." Yukina's face softened a little at his change of tone.

"What for?"

He hesitated, shifting his gaze uncomfortably from her to Gaara, "I need to talk to you about something...alone." Yukina walked towards them.

"Alright, well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then Gaara." She smiled at him. He smiled back and walked away leaving the two alone. Yukina noticed his backwards glances and the worrisome expression that passed over Gaara's features.

_He doesn't trust Haru. _

"What is it Haru?" Yukina finally asked when she was sure Gaara was far enough away.

"I...I'm leaving the village." Yukina perked up, unfolded her arms and looked at him with a saddened expression.

"Why?"

"I'm going back to my village to train for the ANBU forces." Yukina shifted her gaze to the ground. "Yukina..." He trailed off. She noticed his hesitation. He seemed like he was fighting with himself.

"I...want you to come with me." He sputtered out fast, turning his face away from her gaze.

_Is he blushing? _

"What?" She was dumbfounded.

"I already talked to Sota about me leaving and what he would think about you coming along. He said he would be happy for the both of us for following our dreams if that is what you wanted to do."

"Why do you want me to come with you?" She asked, confusion evident in her tone.

"Yukina," His eyes met hers suddenly, his gaze intense, "I love you."

* * *

**How do you think Yukina is going to react?**


	8. Yukina's Decision

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Author's note: Thank you for the review! I appreciate them! I hope you like this chapter :D**

* * *

_"Yukina," His eyes met hers suddenly, his gaze intense, "I love you."_

* * *

Yukina's breath caught in her throat.

_He loved her? Since when?_

As if answering her unspoken questions Haru continued.

"I've loved you since we were children," He continued now without hesitation, "I didn't know how to tell you then, and always seeing you around Sota began to make me wonder if you actually had feelings for him, however, I began to realize you two didn't seem at all romantically involved and I grew hopeful. Maybe I was fearful of rejection, I don't know... If you come to my village with me, you will be welcomed. I mean, I don't expect anything of you, even through I would like you to be mine, I wouldn't force that until you were ready, you could be ANBU with me. They would put us on the same team since we have already worked together. Your abilities are unrivaled among everyone..." he paused, seeming breathless, "I just want you to be happy Yukina and I feel I can do that if you will give me the chance."

It was the longest thing she had ever heard Haru say. He was usually quiet, reserved, but here he was pouring his heart out to her. What could she say? Yukina thought back to their childhood and all the missions they had been on together. She tried to look at Haru in a new light. Had he really loved her all that time. She remembered a specific mission they had been on. Haru had willingly put himself in danger, taking three Shuriken to his chest to protect her, on another mission, he had jumped at her, knocking her out of harms way, but weren't those just things a comrade did? She could now understand his glances thrown at her all those years, the worrisome expressions on his face and how he was always at her and Sota's side. But what did she really think of Haru? Had she ever seen him that way? She didn't feel what she would consider love for Haru, although she definitely cared for him.

The ANBU... if she went she would be leaving everything behind. Her village, Sota and Gaara. The one person who she had promised to always be there for. What could her future hold with Haru? If she traveled down that road and decided against it, could she turn back? Wouldn't that hurt Haru even more? She didn't want to hurt him, he was her friend, a close friend. But so was he... it was just fate that had taken them apart from each other. He clung to her more than Sota did. If she left him again, he might turn back into the monster everyone feared him to be, me might no longer be the Gaara she knew now...

A pain entered her heart. She envisioned Gaara's pain, the expression on his face when she said she was leaving. The turmoil she would cause him..That's what helped her make her decision. She wouldn't allow anyone to cause that kind of pain to Gaara ever again, including herself. She would be here with him and keep him as safe from emotional pain as she could.

"Yukina?" The question in Haru's voice pained her. He wanted her affection, he wanted her to come with him so desperately.

Yukina steeled herself, "Haru, I-"

"You don't have to answer right now." He cut her off, "I will be leaving in the morning, come see me off and I will know your answer then... I do want to say that if your worried about Sota, he will be fine."

Yukina looked up at Haru, "What do you mean?"

"I wouldn't expect you to choose between us so I have already talked to him about it and asked how he would feel. I told him about my feelings for you as well... He said whatever made you happy would be fine by him... We could also visit between missions." Yukina remained silent trying to take this all in. "I know this place has to bring up bad memories Yukina."

Yukina knew he was referring to her parents and the few years she had spent with them.

"But there's good memories too and... it's not just Sota and the memories that hold me back."

Haru seemed shocked as rage entered his voice, "You don't mean...Are you saying you can't leave because of that monster?!"

Yukina shot him a furious glance, "Don't call him that! He's not a monster! He's a human being just like everyone else!" He looked a little taken aback by her sudden anger and softened his voice.

"I'm sorry Yukina, I just worry... He's..." Haru seemed to struggle for the right words, "He's the one who has caused you the most pain." They were both silent for a time. "Will you come to the gate tomorrow morning at least?"

Yukina nodded, "Of course I will, but... do you have to go?"

"Yes, it's my home and my duty." Silence followed again, "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." He placed a hand on her shoulder as he passed by.

Yukina remained standing there dumbfounded. He had told her he loved her... He wanted her to come to his village with him, to live there. Yukina allowed her legs to buckle under her. She sat on her knees, tears threatening her. She hated crying, she wouldn't allow herself to.

_Why now? We didn't even pass the Chunin exams, but then, the ANBU had a different ranking system so I guess it doesn't really matter._

She remained where she was for some time. Night had already fallen before she heard some rustling behind her.

"Yukina?" She turned to see the familiar red head, his face filled with worry, reaching towards her hesitantly.

* * *

Gaara had been waiting for her. He wouldn't just leave her with that boy. Even if he was her teammate he didn't trust him, who knows what he might do to her? Gaara began growing slightly impatient, when someone approached. He hid himself in the shadows. It was Haru, he was walking alone, apparently back to his apartment. Gaara continued to wait, but Yukina didn't follow after him.

_What if he?_

He couldn't allow himself to finish the sentence. He cursed himself as he ran back towards Yukina's location. If he had caused her any harm, he would kill him! Gaara's heartbeat quickened when he saw Yukina kneeling on the ground.

_Is she hurt?!_

He could see her breathing, it was heavy, but she appeared unscathed. She didn't seem to notice him at first, he tried to make some noise as he walked. He didn't want to startle her.

"Yukina?" She turned towards him with a pained expression on her face. He offered her his hand, worried about what had just occurred.

"Gaara." She said his name with such relief in her voice that it surprised him. She was happy to see him, like she always was.

"Are you alright?" He watched as Yukina took his hand to help her to her feet, but she didn't answer at first.

"I...I'm just afraid I'm going to hurt someone close to me..." Gaara didn't understand her words, but didn't want to press her for too much details either. She spoke again before he could respond.

"Haru said he was leaving... and he wants me to come with him." Gaara's heart jumped in his throat. He wasn't sure what to say at first, but pain was washing over him. That familiar loneliness...

_The one she doesn't want to hurt is me, she wants to leave..._

"Why?" Was the only question he could ask.

Yukina smirked, "He claims he loves me."

Gaara felt something stir in him that he had never felt before. It was a familiar anger, but... different. He didn't want anyone else loving Yukina. He didn't want Haru's hands anywhere near her. He would kill him if he touched her! But... What about Yukina's feelings... What if she...

"Do you?" Yukina looked up at him surprised. Maybe his question had been too bold.

"No." The relief that flooded through Gaara then was unmatched. She didn't love him, which meant she would stay right?

"So... will you go?" Gaara could feel Yukina's gaze on him, could she hear the desperation in his voice, willing her to stay? Could she see through his blank expression and read his emotions?

"No," She finally stated, "I have people here that need me." Gaara was relieved, but pained at the same time. Was he the one holding her back, was she saying all this just so she didn't want to cause him pain?

"Is it because of me?" He said, almost in a whisper.

Yukina smiled again warming Gaara's heart, "Your one reason, but... this is my home and Sota is here. I've been here a while now and it truly feels like home... I don't want to leave that home again, nor do I want to break the promise between us."

Gaara was relieved at her words, he wanted her to stay, he wanted her to be his friend and to remain at his side.

"Gaara?" Her voice was a whisper, "How do I not hurt him?" She was asking him for advise?

"Tell him the truth." He stated simply. Yukina seemed to struggle.

"Yeah, I guess that's the best thing to do." She shifted away from him slightly, they had been standing close to one another and Gaara began to wonder if he had made her uncomfortable until she said his name again.

"Gaara, would you mind... um... staying?"

"Here?" He looked at her questioningly.

"I, just don't want to be alone right now... I need a friend."

"I'll stay." She needed him and that was reason enough to stay. He would always be there for her unless she sent him away. It would destroy him if she ever did. To be her friend and be near her was enough for him.

* * *

The following morning Yukina woke early and headed towards the village entrance. Haru and Sota were already there talking quietly before they noticed her.

"You don't have a pack." It wasn't a question from Haru, but a simple statement to confirm she was indeed staying in the village.

"No." Was Yukina's response. She couldn't look at him, she knew she was going to hurt him. Her rejection would cause a strife between them and they would probably never be as close of friends as they once were.

Haru stepped forward suddenly and embraced her. Yukina froze uncertain, he had never made such an attempt before.

"Haru... I-"

"Yukina, just know that if you ever change your mind I will be waiting in my village, I will wait for your arrival, however long it takes." Yukina gently hugged him in return, although a little awkwardly and nodded once he released her. He grabbed his pack and walked off with a wave of his hand. Both Sota and her watched as his silhouette faded into the distance. Sota was the first to speak.

"Well, I never figured Haru to be the romantic type."

"I never knew..."

Sota folded his arms behind his head, "So?"

"So what?" Yukina noticed his mischievous grin.

"How do you feel about him?"

"I don't... I've only ever thought of him as a comrade, like you."

Sota smiled, but didn't press her further. Yukina spent a lot of time with Sota for the next week, training with him and keeping him company. She didn't want to leave him now that Haru was gone. She still met Gaara for their training sessions, which were going great.

"You know I don't need to be baby-sitter." Sota stated one afternoon

"What are you talking about Sota, I like spending time with you." They both laughed.

"Yukina, Sota." The two turned to their Sensei's voice. He had caught them outside as they were carrying in groceries from the store.

"Yes?" Yukina replied.

"Your needed in the elder's chambers, I think they have a mission for you two." Yukina and Sota exchanged glances and both quickly put away the groceries before heading to the Kazekage building.

It had been a while since they were called for a mission. The elders had allowed for Yukina to recover and Sota and Haru to see to her care, thus none of them had been on a mission in a very long time.

_I guess our final mission with Haru had been in Konoha..._

Once arriving the two were instructed to enter the building. They bowed respectfully and waited for the elder to address them.

"Yukina. Sota."

"Yes." They both replied together.

"We have a mission for you. There have been some sound ninja spotted on the outskirts of the village and I want you to take care of them. Some of them may be Jounin, but I believe you will be able to handle yourselves just fine. I wouldn't normally send Genin on a mission such as this one, but we are short staffed right now and I have no other choice."

"Yes." They both responded again.

"However, I have been recently informed that your teammate, Haru, has returned to his village to train for the ANBU forces, thus leaving you with a team member missing. I have assigned someone in his place."

The two were surprised and exchanged glances with one another.

"Enter." The elder spoke and the doors behind them opened. Yukina had expected a novice to join them, someone not well known to everyone in the village, someone for them to train along the way, but she didn't expect this.

In the door way, walking towards them was Gaara...

* * *

**Author's note: So their new team member is Gaara, I wonder how Sota will react to this news?**


	9. A new team

**Author's Note: I have made a huge attempt to improve my writing with this chapter. I plan to go back and rewrite the previous chapters as well. I feel like they don't contain enough detail. Please let me know if you notice a difference and whether or not you like it.**

**Also I have finally finished my picture of Gaara and Yukina. It is from a scene that will come much later on, but I thought you would like it. It is posted as the cover photo for this story. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Yukina's face broke into a smile as she watched Gaara stride across the room to stand beside them. She was both surprised and overjoyed at having the opportunity to be working with Gaara. This would give them more time together, she would no longer be separated from him due to long missions. He nodded to her in passing, keeping his composure in front of the village elder. Yukina glanced over her shoulder then at Sota; he was fuming. Yukina could see the rage on his face, how his fists clenched together and how he grit his teeth to keep from violently protesting. He calmed himself enough to speak.

"What about his team? Won't they be short a member?" There was malice evident in Sota's tone.

The elder sat forward, folding his hands together, "Temari and Kankuro have been assigned duties at the school for now. They have many responsibilities and therefore are currently unable to perform normal mission duties. We are working to develop a school system similar to the leaf village. Gaara will also be helping from time to time, but for now, I believe this will work out fine... Yukina," He addressed her directly, "Some of our Jounin have observed yours and Gaara's training sessions and we feel you will work together well." Sota shot her a furious glare, It was clear he planned to have a long talk with her later. She knew she woudln't get away with this easily. Yukina attempted to smile at him meekly, but he wasn't having it. A thought quickly formed in her mind.

_They have been spying on us the whole time? What have they observed? What were they thinking right now?_

The elder explained the mission to them. Around five sound ninja had been spotted heading towards Konoha. They were some distance away, however, so it would take a few days to reach them. The leaf village was closer, but the sand didn't want to burden them with the mess Suna was responsible for. As a team, they were to gather information discretely before proceeding with the sounds's elimination.

"This is an A ranked mission, but I trust you three will be able to handle it. Yukina, I'm making you the leader for this mission. " The three nodded as he waved his hand towards them, "Dismissed."

They exited the Kazekage building. Yukina was practically dancing on her toes from excitement, Gaara kept his usual composure, but Sota hung back. It was very clear how he felt about the whole thing.

"Alright," Yukina spoke suddenly, "We will plan to meet at the gate within the hour. Sota I'm leaving you in charge of our food supply, Gaara, you and I will go collect our weapons and medical equipment."

"Yukina." There was a warning in Sota's voice. She saw him glance towards Gaara. She knew he wanted to talk with her, to chastise her for being around Gaara by herself, but she didn't want to hear about it right now.

"We'll meet you by the front gate in an hour." Yukina repeated; her stern gaze made Sota retreat slightly. Reluctantly he stalled off and Yukina sighed.

"He doesn't trust me." Gaara stated simply. His gaze followed Sota until he was no longer in their sight.

"He just doesn't know you yet. He'll come around." She assured.

"What makes you so sure? "

"Because _I _ trust you." Gaara remained silent, his expression unreadable as usual, he simply followed her as they gathered the equipment and waited by the gate for Sota's return. He arrived ten minutes early, as Yukina expected, no doubt worried about her. He was usually late for everything.

They exchanged packs, each carrying a little of everything, it was better this way, in case one of them got separated from the team they would have enough provisions to survive.

They set out across the desert without another word. It was midday with the heat at it's peak. Yukina would have liked to have waited until nightfall before traveling, however, there was a time constraint to this mission. They wanted to eliminate the sound before they decided to attack the leaf village or regroup to launch an assault on the sand. Both village were in some turmoil right now since their leaders had been killed, although she believed she had heard rumors about a fifth Hokage being chosen.

Gaara was the first to speak while they were running, "Prepare yourselves."

"For what?" Sota spat at him, barely letting him finish his statement. Yukina sent a furious glare at Sota. He met her gaze, unfazed this time.

_This is going to take a lot of work..._

Gaara continued, ignoring Sota's tone, "The village elder was lying."

Yukina shifted her gaze towards him, "What do you mean?"

"There won't be just five sound ninja, there are likely to be many more. They often assign me impossible missions..." He trailed off.

Yukina could sense the anger in his voice.

_Were they always out to get him?_

"Well, that's just fantastic." Sota barked sarcastically.

Yukina smiled, "Then I guess we'll just take care of them together and show those elders what team work is all about!"

Sota scoffed again, but Gaara's expression softened at her kind words.

_He'll never get used to me..._

That night they set up a camp, still within the confines of the desert, thus it was cold. Yukina wrapped her cloak tightly around herself, shivering

_At least in the forest the temperatures don't shift as much..._

Sota was already asleep, sprawled out in an odd fashion, snoring loudly. She peaked over at Gaara, he was still awake and staring at her strangely. His eyes didn't waver as their gaze met. She looked at him oddly for a moment.

What?" Yukina finally asked. She wasn't irritated, but it was a little unnerving that he just kept his eyes fixated on her. Those green emeralds seemingly burning into her soul.

"Thank you." He stated simply.

"For what?" Yukina asked confused.

"You said you trusted me... no one had ever told me that before."

Yukina's eyes softened, "Gaara, we are part of a team now, we have to trust each other, otherwise the mission could fail." Yukina watched as Gaara's gaze shifted to Sota. A worried expression replacing his normally calm demeanor.

Yukina understood his thoughts, "You don't have to worry about him, he may dislike you, but he won't do anything to jeopardize the mission or put our lives in danger."

"You mean your life." The sureness of his voice made her heart ache.

"Sota knows better, I'd beat him if he let anything happen to you."

_There's that expression again, the surprise that crosses his face..._

Gaara wasn't shy, that's not what she had been observing. He didn't hesitate because he felt he couldn't do something, he hesitated because he wasn't sure how to respond. His emotions were on a roller coaster ride and he was just barely hanging on. He was so accustomed to being hated and gladly hated in response. His purpose in life had been to kill, to find someone worth killing, but now he had a new purpose. He had friends, people to protect and live for, he was simply unsure how to react to them. Naruto had been a big influence on his change in demeanor. He had taught Gaara how much friendship can mean and how it can make you stronger. Naruto was strong because of his bonds and Gaara wanted that same strength. He wanted that drive to live for something other than killing. He wanted a meaning to his existence.

"You should sleep." His voice interrupted her thoughts.

"It's fine, I can take the first watch, you should get yourself some rest."

"...I can't."

"Why not?" She looked at him puzzled.

Gaara clenched his teeth, "The Shukaku won't let me."

Yukina felt a pain in her heart, that monster was always going to be there to torment him. Every waking moment it was probably trying to break him, to bring him down and crush his soul, but he had lasted this long dealing with such torture. It must be such a burden.

_He must truly be a strong person..._

"Alright." Yukina curled up in the sand with her cloak around her, she took one last look at Gaara before drifting into a light sleep.

_Truly strong..._

* * *

They reached the forest the following day, taking a short break to discuss their battle strategy and how everyone was to work together. Sota still seemed angry about working with Gaara, but he agreed to her plans without question. Upon approaching their enemies the three made slow progress, masking their Chakras so as not to alert the enemies. Hiding in the trees they could see four sound ninja sitting around a dying fire. It was still morning, but the men appeared to have been awake for some time. Yukina scanned the surrounding forest.

_Where is the fifth one?_

Maybe the elder's spies had been wrong. Maybe there was only four of them, but then Gaara's warning came to her mind.

_There won't be just five sound ninja, there are likely to be many more. They often assign me impossible missions..._

This didn't seem like an impossible mission. If there were only four ninja, they could attack and kill them quickly and quietly. The four seemed to at least be of Chunin rank, but with their combined distance assaults she was sure they could be taken down quickly.

Yukina motioned for the other two to remain in place for observation. Sota sat some distance to her left in a tree, while Gaara was to her right. He remained crouched on the ground, his eyes never leaving their enemies. Yukina turned her attention back to the four. They were to gather information, so listening in would be their best option.

"Did you see that woman!" A large bald man exclaimed. He was quite grotesque looking and Yukina took an immediate disliking to him.

"I know she was a beauty wasn't she!" His companion agreed.

"Man I would have liked to-" Yukina tore herself from the conversation, sighing, they weren't going to learn anything useful from THAT conversation. Why did men insist on speaking that way about women.

Where the sound ninja sat, there was a large rock formation behind them. Yukina didn't think anything of it until another ninja made his appearance from around the corner.

_So there is five._

Then another...

Yukina wondered if they had a camp set up on the other side as well as this one. She got Sota's attention and motioned for him to check it out. He quickly disappeared. She waited and watched. When Sota finally reappeared he made his way towards her.

_What is he doing?_

Yukina gave him a questioning look as he stood beside her.

"There is a cave on the other side. The entrance is almost hidden by the trees, but I can see at least another ten men sitting in there. I wasn't able to see more than that." Sota whispered.

_Ten more, so that makes fifteen so far... Gaara was right..._

Yukina motioned for Gaara to join them and filled him in on the situation.

"Our mission is to eliminate the sound ninja. We will quickly take care of these fifteen and then proceed into the cavern." Yukina didn't like the idea. The narrow passageways would make it easy for the enemy to surround them. It could put them all in danger.

"Alright, Gaara I want you to take care of the ones here, Sota and I will deal with the cave entrance. We'll move at the same time. Make it quick, the less noise we make the better," She looked at Gaara, "Once you've taken care of them meet us at the entrance and we'll continue from there."

They nodded simultaneously and moved. At Yukina's signal the start of the blood bath began. Gaara wrapped his enemies in sand quickly, crushing their bodies with only the last whispers of their breath escaping. Sota too crushed his enemies by using the Earth Release technique, manipulating the ground underneath the enemies feet. Yukina threw Shuriken, striking three of them in the neck; she took the other two out by slitting their throats quickly. The fifteen ninja were dead within moments.

_They must have all been Genin... either that or the sound ninja aren't very skilled..._

Gaara joined them quickly. Yukina looked at the dead bodies of the men, "That seemed too easy."

"I agree." Sota looked around, "They didn't even fight back."

With a last look at their fallen enemies they continued down a passageway. Yukina quickly realized how large the underground cavern was, it could continue for miles in any direction. They could easily get lost if they weren't careful. Luckily the sound ninja had traveled through here often, leaving a well worn trail.

The three proceeded forward.

They began to hear sounds ahead of them, there was no where to hide, they were surrounded on all sides by the cavern walls.

"Come here!" Sota hissed at them. Both Yukina and Gaara were grabbed by Sota as he sunk them back into the wall. To Yukina it felt as though the wall had been turned into clay. It wrapped itself around her body and then covered her face. She held her breath; the two ninja passed by them without a second thought. Once they were out of sight Sota pulled them from the wall and released them.

"Good thinking Sota!" Yukina praised.

"Thank you." Gaara spoke. Sota acknowledged him, but his cold gaze told Yukina he wouldn't have helped him if he could have avoided it.

The tunnel they continued walking down opened up into a vast cavern. Standing at the top, the cavern extended over fifty feet below them. They could see over a hundred of their enemies below. All talking or doing one job or another. They didn't take notice of them at first. There were stairs on either side of the cavern that allowed the ninja access to the different levels and tunnels.

_What the hell..._

Gaara came to stand beside her, "I didn't expect this many..."

"Surely the elder's spies would have known about this!" Yukina hissed.

"Probably..." Yukina was shocked at his calm demeanor. They had done this to him before. They had deliberately sent him on impossible missions, probably hoping for his death.

"What now Yuki?"

"We can't take them all on at once, we need to retreat back to the entrance and form a plan."

"I don't think we can let you do that." They all whirled around to see the fifteen men they had killed earlier standing in front of them. Sota and Gaara both took defensive stances in front of Yukina.

"How?" Was all Yukina could manage.

"Orochimaru had kindly given us bodies to use and we just make them look like ourselves. What you killed were nothing more than corpses." Yukina grit her teeth as she realized the hundred or so ninja below them had begun to advance.

"Gaara. Sota." They both nodded. It was going to be a bloody fight, but if they could simply make it out of the cavern alive, they would have a chance. They didn't stand one down here.

"Gaara now!" As soon as his name had been spoken Gaara threw a wall of sand towards his opponents, no doubt meant to crush them. The three quickly turned, running along the passageway, watching the ninja advance below them. The ninja there hadn't made it up the stairs yet so they had a small running advantage. Some of the ninja were clearly more skilled as they scaled the wall easily, trying to block their exit. Sota quickly created mud slides, while Gaara and Yukina sent streams of sand to knock their opponents off balance. They continued running forward.

A tunnel was spotted ahead of them and they headed for it. Even if they got lost in the tunnels, it would be better at this point. Shuriken flew at them from all directions. Gaara's sand shield protected him from it, but Yukina and Sota had to focus their abilities on deflecting the attacks, looking behind them as they ran. They had over a hundred ninja in pursuit of them, all focused on killing their enemies.

It was then that it happened, Sota tripped, crashing his head against the hard ground. He was slow to move, too slow for Yukina's comfort. Blood dripped from his head as she realized he wouldn't be able to defend himself. She skidded, turning and ran back towards him. She watched as Shuriken flew towards Sota and she felt as through she were running through water to reach him. She didn't think, only acted and before she knew it she was standing over Sota, facing a hoard of ninja running towards her. Three Shuriken buried themselves inside her body before she could throw up her sand's defenses. She started launching shards of hardened sand, halting their enemies advances.

"Yukina!" She heard Gaara's strangled cry, but the only thing she could focus on now was blocking all the other on coming attacks. She didn't have time to assess her wounds. As she tried to step towards Sota she realized a searing pain flying through her left leg. Determined she grabbed her friend and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, jumping backwards to dodge the weapons that continued to fly at her.

Gaara was now at her side and aided her sand with his own. The look on his face was something she had never seen before.

Desperation.

Yukina slumped, her chakra was quickly beginning to wane, she looked at the ground and realized she was standing in blood. Her blood? How badly was she hurt? Yukina felt the world around her teetering on the edge of darkness.

_NO! I can't pass out now! If I do Sota and Gaara could be..._

She fought and the adrenaline rush made her senses come back to. She forced herself beside Gaara, having sat Sota on the ground, he was stirring now, taking in everything that had happened. She pushed with Gaara to keep the sand barrier up, while he lashed out, killing the ninja one at a time. He rained sand down, crushed some and threw a spear through the hearts of those that dared to get too close. There was blood everywhere.

_He can't keep this up forever..._

"Yuki! Your hurt!" Sota was up behind her before she had realized it. Her senses were waning. Yukina suddenly felt light headed again. Her body gave out and she fell to her hands and knees, barely keeping the wall up in front of them.

"Sota," Gaara spoke, "Take that tunnel and get Yukina out of here."

"No! We can't just leave you here!" Yukina struggled to her feet. How much blood had she lost? Sota didn't hesitate, he grabbed Yukina in his arms and ran. Yukina's connection with the barrier broke as Sota headed for the tunnel.

"Gaara!" Yukina tried to struggle against Sota but his strong arms held her in place. She watched as Gaara's back disappeared from her sight.

They ran for some time before Sota finally set her down. He attempted to open the medical pack when Yukina suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, forcing his face inches from her own. Her Sapphire eyes bore into him with fury.

"If you don't try to help him Sota I swear I will NEVER forgive you!" Despite her lack of blood, Yukina's grip was one of absolute fury. Sota saw the desperation behind that fury as he gently clasped her hand.

"Alright Yuki."

* * *

Once Yukina and Sota had left, Gaara dropped the sand wall and concentrated on only himself. He knew his sand shield could be penetrated, especially since he had already used up so much Chakra. He had successfully killed half of them already, but it seemed like more just kept pouring out. He continued his assault, he had to keep them at bay at least long enough for Yukina to get away. His Chakra would run out before he could kill them all.

Gaara suddenly felt the ground beneath him shift as he slid backwards.

_Mud?_

He allowed his body to be carried by it since it was leading away from his enemies. He positioned himself with one hand on the ground so he wouldn't loose his balance. It became darker as Gaara realized he had entered the tunnel. A person now stood to his right and was quickly forming hand seals. Gaara expected an attack, but was grabbed by the arm instead.

"Run!" Came Sota's familiar voice.

Gaara quickly regained his balance and followed Sota through the tunnel, dust surrounded them as a booming crash could be heard from the cavern they left behind.

"What did you do?" Gaara asked.

"I've brought down a part of the cavern to block the entrance."

"Where's Yukina?" His voice was full of more concern than he had intended.

Sota pointed, "Up ahead."

The sight in front of Gaara as they ran made his heart speed up, Yukina sat propped against a wall with her head down. She looked so vulnerable, so defeated... He stopped slowly in front of her, unsure which wound to tend to first. Her left leg had a gaping hole in it from the Shuriken. She had also been hit in the front of her right shoulder and right arm. All the injuries looked severe. Gaara knelt beside her, and began tending to her wounds.

Her head shot up suddenly, "Gaara!?" There was disbelief in her voice. She looked towards Sota, who Gaara saw smile at her from the corner of his eye. She moved suddenly, in a gesture Gaara had seen but was all too unfamiliar with. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, causing their bodies to be pressed together. He took in a breath and remained motionless, unsure how to respond.

She was... hugging him...

He remained where he was, his arms at his sides.

She was shaking...

"I'm glad your alright." She whispered to him. When she pulled back, their eyes met and he could now see the tears.

_Is she crying for me? Why?_

"Yukina-"

"I just thought something bad had happened to you." She interrupted him.

Gaara looked at both of them as they smiled. They were happy he had returned, both of them...

Yukina flinched then, leaning back against the wall, "Yukina your wounds."

"I know..."

* * *

Yukina sat there, in pain, but happy. Both of her friends had survived that impossible situation. They were both still alive. She watched as Gaara and Sota grabbed the medical packs. Sota went to work on her arm first, while Gaara was tending to her leg.

_Never thought Gaara would be the one tending to my wounds..._

She blushed suddenly as she felt his warm hands graze her skin. He wrapped the wound gently, yet firm enough to stop the bleeding. His touch ignited her body and made her fully aware of his presence. It sent delightful shivers down her spine that she had never felt before. In fact she had never felt more strongly for anyone than she did for Gaara. It was different than how she felt about Sota. When Sota had left him behind she felt an aching in her heart that was almost unbearable. She felt...

Sota began pulling at her clothing which brought Yukina to full attention.

"What are you doing!?" She grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"I can't get to your shoulder unless we remove your shirt a little." Yukina felt another blush rise to her cheeks.

"What?" Sota looked at her completely oblivious.

"I'm a girl!" Yukina put emphasis on the last word.

"Well," Sota scratched his head, "We have to dress the wound regardless." Yukina felt another blush rush to her face as she looked at Gaara.

"What's wrong with you?" Sota asked.

"Nothing." Yukina lifted her arm and slipped it out of the sleeve, carefully covering herself in the front and firmly holding it in place, "Is this good enough?"

"Yeah, Sota gently wrapped her shoulder. Gaara turned to allow her some privacy. Sota had no hesitation in his touch, he didn't feel anything for Yukina so their proximity and her partial revealing of herself wasn't of any concern to him. She quickly slipped her arm back into it's sleeve.

They had only rested a few moments before Yukina spoke, "We should go. " She tried to stand but quickly had an arm help her up.

"Are you able to stand? " Gaara asked, concern evident in his face.

"Yeah" Yukina put all her weight on her right leg. Her left hurt terribly and her right arm wasn't going to be of much help either.

Sota knelt in front of her, "Get on and don't argue." Gaara released her as she climbed onto Sota's back. He carefully wrapped his arms around her legs trying not to cause pain to her left side. Yukina draped her arms around Sota's neck and relaxed into his back.

"Are you sure your strong enough Sota? "

Sota scoffed, "I bumped my head Yuki. I didn't take a direct hit from three Shuriken."

They continued following the tunnel at an even pace. It slanted uphill causing their journey to be a little slower. Yukina and Gaara had expended most of their Chakra, but Sota still seemed strong enough. Yukina noticed Garra's watchful eye. It was as if he expected her to collapse at any moment. She shot a meek smile at him and received one in return.

"Look ahead!" Sota yelled. There was light, which meant this tunnel led outside! They were almost out! There was a sudden explosion behind them. The three turned to see around twenty ninja jump through the newly formed hole in the wall, running towards them.

Sota and Gaara took off in the opposite direction, continuing their assent towards the opening in the tunnel. If they could get out of the cavern, the trees would provide them cover. They could run and recover before continuing their mission.

Sota turned suddenly, releasing Yukina's legs and formed a few hand signs. He slammed his hand on the ground and slick mud exploded in front of him. It raced towards their enemies. He quickly picked her back up and continued running with Gaara at his side. Gaara deflected any attacks the enemy threw at them, he wan't going to allow Yukina to be hurt a second time. When they finally emerged through the tunnel exit they weren't greeted with the welcome protection the trees had promised.

In front of them stood what they presumed to be the rest of the sound ninja gang. There were at least eighty standing in front of them and the other twenty caught up to the entrance in a short span of time. They were completely surrounded.

_Shit..._

* * *

**I hope you liked this chapter, sorry to leave you hanging! :)**

**P.S. Did you notice a different in the quality of the writing? If so let me know if you liked it and I will go back and change the previous chapters slowly. **

**Again thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy!**


	10. Saved?

**A big thank you to those that have reviewed!**

**sanbi221 (**your review actually encouraged me to add a part to this chapter and thus lead to another scene between Gaara and Yukina later on.**)**

**belladu57**

**Anubis eye**

**Please leave your reviews everyone! I don't bite I promise! I would love to hear from you and what you think about this story, how you think it will go or maybe how you want it to go. You never know, I might use your ideas! I'm kind of writing this from the top of my head, I only have a few scenes planned so ideas and thoughts would be wonderful! **

**Thank you all so much! :D**

* * *

Completely surrounded and no where to run. The forest within their reach, yet blocked by their enemies. They had been so close, so close to escaping, yet it had been torn from them, their only hope shattered at the sight of their enemies.

The three stared at the small army surrounding them. There was no where to escape to, no where they could run. Gaara and Sota might be able to outrun them, but she knew they wouldn't leave her behind.

Sota released Yukina to stand on her own. She kept one hand on his shoulder for support. They all stared at their enemies, exhaused. Sota still had Chakra left but Gaara's and Yukina's was running dangerously low. If they had to fight, they would all probably die.

"No wear to run now. Why would the sand send little brats like you anyway?" What Yukina could only guess was the leader spoke to them now. He was a tall, well built man and wore the sound's headband. He stood there mockingly. Sota had positioned himself slightly in front of her and Gaara in front of him. It was clear, both of them were going to protect her no matter what happened. She was a liability at this point, she couldn't dodge or run quickly. She could barely form hand signs with the injury to her arm.

To her dismay the sound suddenly attacked. She had hoped they would hold off and antagonize them for a bit so she could form a plan.

Darkness surrounded them then. They were completely encompassed in a dome of sand and Gaara stood before them, holding his stance having already formed the seals for it.

"Gaara..." It was clear he was already worn out from their previous encounter with the sound. He was sweating and panting heavily, but had a firm determined look on his face.

Yukina could hear the attacks of the enemy outside, but Gaara stood strong. Each attack used up a little bit of Chakra as he fought to keep the dome surrounding them. He was protecting them. It was like the enemy was slowing chipping away at his energy with each blow. She couldn't stand it. There he was trying to protect them and there was nothing she could do... no way she could help. She cursed herself, she had protected Sota and now they were all likely going to die.

Yukina sank to the ground, no longer having the strength to keep herself standing.

"Yuki!?" Sota asked in alarm. Gaara's face turned towards hers and their eyes met. His expression showing great concern. He was almost done, his body was visibly shaking. She nodded to him, indicating her acceptance of death, but his expression still showed of one that refused to give up. They were going to die here, there was no back up coming for them. The sand wouldn't help them. They had sent them here knowing they would probably die.

_Great...Dead at 14..._

Gaara suddenly clutched his head and moaned in agony, she shot a glance towards him.

"Not now..." she heard him say through gritted teeth.

"Gaara, what's wrong?" Yukina leaded forward, she struggled to her feet to stand beside him. His sand armor was cracking and he now sunk to his knees clutching his head.

"Get...away..." He struggled to speak. Yukina worryingly looked at Sota. She backed towards him and they both leaned on the edge of the dome.

_The Shukaku... _

How could she have forgotten? If Gaara died that monster would be released and kill everyone.

They watched as Gaara's transformation began. They were stuck, trapped inside this sand barrier with the Shukaku forcing it's way out of Gaara's body.

He screamed suddenly and it was like an explosion happened. The two were thrown a little ways back as the dome collasped. When the sand and dust cleared they saw Gaara... or a half Gaara... The other half of his body had taken the form of the Shukaku. His right arm and face were distorted and he also had a tail. The transformation progressed quickly, taking over more and more of his body. He stood with his back towards them. The sound ninja backed away a little at the sight of the creature before them.

"Blood... I want blood!" He screamed and ran towards them without hesitation.

Yukina and Sota watched in horror as he tore each ninja apart, blood scattering everywhere. It was the most grousome scene Yukina had ever seen. Limbs where flying, body parts positioned in awkward angles as they all begged for their lives.

The leader took a few steps back as he watched his comrades being slaughtered before his eyes.

"Strike him all at once!" The leader screamed. Several Kunai flew at Gaara, but he raised his arm to block them, absorbing the Kunai before sending them flying back, piercing their owners. The Shukaku had now almost taken over Gaara's body completely. The only thing that remained human on him where his feet. His once beautiful sea green eyes were now the color of sand and had a thirst for blood in them.

_This isn't Gaara..._

She looked at Sota now. He was frozen in fear. He mouth hung open as his whole body trembled.

"Sota?" He didn't respond to her, he couldn't take his eyes from the monstrosity in front of him.

Yukina turned her head forward as the leader begged for his life. Gaara... no the Shukaku ripped his head from his shoulders and crushed it in his hand. Making a crushing sound Yukina would never be able to forget.

It was only seconds, but it seemed like an eternity as they stood there waiting to see what would happen next. Gaara didn't have much Chakra left and she wasn't sure if it was enough to suppress the Shukaku's powers. He might even be able to take his full form at this point and kill all the people in the surrounding villages.

He turned towards her then, catching her eyes in his. Sota was completely immobilized with fear, she had to keep Gaara away from him. Yukina took a few steps forward, hobbling on her leg.

"Gaara?" She tried.

"HAHAHAHAHA, that brat isn't here to stop me now! I've wanted your blood for sometime! Your my prey!" He launched himself at her and it was all she could do to roll to her left. He skidded, ignoring Sota and came after her again. She jumped avoiding the arm that was thrown at her.

Yukina landed on her left leg, but hitting the ground still sent a tremor up her body and through her injured leg, causing a sharp pain to shoot through her. It took her breath away for a moment.

Bile rose in her throat as she realized she was sitting in the enemies blood, there was a body beside her that had been torn open, organs displayed before her eyes.

Yukina shifted and kept her eyes locked on his movements. One false move and her and Sota were both dead.

She knew she wouldn't be able to run for long, but she had to get some space between Gaara and Sota. Sota still remained frozen in fear. She didn't risk casting a glance at him, the Shukaku would be able to read her movements and may go after him instead.

_This is going to hurt like hell..._

"You want me," Yukina challenged, "Then come and get me!" She took off into the forest, trying to put as much weight on her left leg as possible. She could feel a warm trickle emitting from her right side. She had ripped open the wound again...

"With pleasure." She thought she had heard him whisper."

Yukina risked a glance behind her and was glad she did. There were several spears of sand flying at her. She jumped, missing all but one. It cut her right calf, tearing the skin open. Yukina fell forward onto her right arm, but It collapsed, unable to support her weight with her injuries and she rolled back into a crouch, now facing the on coming Gaara... or Shukaku.

He launched his arm at her again.

"Gaara!" She screamed. Yukina again jumped, avoiding the blow. His other arm came at her, claws outstretched. Again she was fast enough to dodge, but her speed wasn't going to be enough. She would wear out long before he did. All her wounds were now dripping blood and he smiled at her. That awful, evil smile that craved her blood, that wanted her dead.

Yukina had no choice, she had to fight back, even if it didn't do her any good, she had to try and reach Gaara somehow.

The next blow came and she ran forward, searing pain tearing through her leg, jumping she threw her full body weight into her leg and smashed it against his face, causing him to fall back. Yukina again landed with a roll, trying to keep as much weight off her leg as possible.

He stood laughing.

"Gaara!" She screamed again, "Snap out of it!" Again he came at her and again she ran forward, she didn't care how many times it took, she would keep attacking until she couldn't move anymore.

Just as Yukina was about to jump she became aware of her mistake. She was repeating the exact movement she had just done and he was ready this time. She glanced behind her to see the tail flying at her back. There was no time to dodge it completely but... Yukina put all her weight on her right leg and pushed herself sideways, however it wasn't enough. She felt it as the tail ripped through her side causing her to be shoved forward. Looking up she was eye to eye with the beast.

Yukina slowly glanced down and a shock ran through her body. The gaping wound in her right side was huge, blood poured from it like a fountain...

Yukina again looked into the cold, sand colored eyes of the Shukaku, "Gaara..." She lifted her hand, causing the creature to pull back slightly. She cupped the monsters cheek, still staring into it's eyes, "Come back..."

Her eyes locked on his, she watched and waited. The Shukaku didn't move, he seemed frozen. Slowly the sand colored orbs faded back to green and sand fell from Gaara's now returning body. He stared at her in horror, his eyes unsteady and unfocused.

"Yu...ki...na?" She smiled at him weakly, feeling the lack of blood taking her. She collapsed and he caught her, holding her in his arms. She wasn't aware of much else as the darkness consumed her.

* * *

******Does Yukina live or will Gaara forever be tormented with the knowledge that he killed her?**

******Please don't send your angry comments at me! I'm not sure if this could actually happen or not. Gaara losing control, while still remaining in this state, but it seemed good! Hope you liked it.**

**Alright guys, I have had several people read this story and 3 lovely people who have graced me with their reviews. I just wonder, are you enjoying this story? I have 10 favs, but only 3 reviews. Please review if you want me to keep writing. Reviews equals quicker chapters posted, I write for the reviews and opinions of others.**

**No reviews = No motivation for writing.**

**I know you want to know what happens next so you see that little button below with a speech bubble, just click on it and leave a comment.**

**Thank you in advance!**

P.S. Does anyone know, if I were to replace a chapter with an update, will that delete the review for that chapter? I'm new here, thanks! :D


	11. PleaseDon't Leave Me

**Thank you so much! Reviews are awesome and I love them!**

**You have given me the inspiration to write! I would have had it up sooner, but I just got my computer back from the repair shop and thus my writing was delayed.**

**Big thanks to you guys! **

**pikatrebond **(I will try to write my chapters as quickly as possible! Thank you so much, I'm so glad you love the story!)

**Codebreakeryuuki **(Loved the "Author-chan" haha!)** :D**

* * *

**We _look,_ but never will see**

* * *

Gaara felt himself returning from the cold, lonely recesses of his mind. The place that kept him trapped and reminded him of all the things he didn't have; things like love, compassion and friendship. It reminded him of how everyone looked at him, yet didn't really see him. All those cold stares from the people of his village, except her. That one girl that looked at him with a smile on her face instead of the cold eyes he was so used to seeing. Coming back was like being able to breath again and feel the warmth of the outside world. The sand rolled off his skin and his eyes focused on the person in front of him. The image was blurry at first, but she slowly came into view. Those eyes that saw the real him.

"Yu...ki...na?"

He could feel her breath on his face and...her hand? What was she doing? Why was she so close? He saw her smile before she fell forward. Surprised he caught her, following her body to the ground, turning her so that she faced him. It was then that he felt the warm stickiness against her side. Pulling his hand from her he saw it covered in blood. Glancing down he saw the large gash in her left side, blood pouring from the wound.

"Yukina, What happened!?" He asked desperately.

She didn't respond.

He watched as her eyes starred into his. He had seen this look before so many times, but it had been in the face of his enemies and he had enjoyed it.

Is this how their families felt? The family's of all the people he had murdered? Was this going to be his punishment? To lose the one person he cared about?

_Did I..._

There was no one around him, no one that could help. He knew what had occurred. The Shukaku had taken control... he had slaughtered his only friend and now he was being forced to watch her fade away before his eyes.

Gaara hasn't cried in years, he had no reason to, his only reason for existence had been for himself, but now...

"Yukina." He whispered to himself.

He could feel that pain in his chest again, that ache that was so much worse than any physical punishment he could suffer. A wound to the heart...

He clutched her close to him, willing her to stay alive.

"Please...don't leave me." He'd give his own life if he were able. Anything to save her's. Anything for the one person he cared for, the only one who saw him...

"Gaara?" Gaara turned to see a familiar white haired ninja staring at him. He kept his distance, observing.

"Kakashi."

"Is the girl alright? " Gaara shook his head." Shizune!" He heard him call.

A woman with black hair appeared behind him. She immediately ran forward, ignoring Gaara's warning gaze and the sand particles that floated around her. She assessed Yukina, not moving her from Gaara's arms.

"She needs immediate treatment!" She yelled, a green light emitted from her hands as she placed them over Yukina's wounds. "Guy!" She called.

"At your service!" His cheerful expression changed as he caught sight of Yukina laying in Gaara's arms.

She gave Guy a stern look, "You have to get her to Tsunade as fast as you can! I've stopped the outside bleeding but if you don't hurry she _will_ die."

"Just leave it to me!" He picked Yukina up eyeing Gaara carefully. He hadn't forgotten what Gaara had done to his student, but Gaara didn't fight him, he allowed Guy to take Yukina from his arms. He handled her carefully, with Shizune's watchful gaze over them both.

_Would they be able to save her? Could it be possible that he would be spared the pain of her death?_

Gaara looked down at his hands again. One was covered in her blood, but the other one? Gaara now looked at himself closely. He had blood splattered all over his clothes, but it wasn't his own or Yukina's...

He grabbed his head suddenly as flashes of memories swam before his eyes. The crushing of enemies around him... Their cries as they begged for their lives... and _her_ face... the eyes that stared at him without fear.

She had seen it all...how he slaughtered those around him without remorse... How the monster in him enjoyed it... And how it wanted _her_ blood...

"Gaara." Kakashi's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Why is it always her!?" He slammed his fists on the ground. "Why is she the one always being hurt by me!?" His body trembled.

Kakashi stood there in silence for a moment. "We always hurt the ones we love the most."

Gaara looked up at him, surprised he had answered, "Why?"

_What's the point of friendship and love if we always hurt them?_

"Because they're the only ones brave enough to open their hearts and let us in, to face our demons with us and to help us conquer our fears." Gaara's gaze fell back to the ground. He remained there kneeling, looking at the place Yukina had been in his arms only moments ago.

"You should go with them. I'll get your other team member."

Without hesitation Gaara stood and headed in the direction of the leaf village. He ran as fast as his tired body would allow. Silently, he prayed they would make it to Tsunade in time. He ran past the front gate not bothering to stop when the guards called after him. He didn't care. He knew where the hospital was and right now that was all that mattered.

Upon entering Gaara still had the ninja from the front gate tailing him. He stopped at the front desk breathless. The women at the counter looked up at him, her eyes filling with fear.

The men caught up to him, "Who are you!?" One demanded. He grabbed Gaara's arm tightly. Gaara turned on him, with a fierce look on his face, sand whirling around them in all directions. This caused the man to immediately release his grip.

"It's fine." He heard a man call from the end of the hall. It was the one they called Guy. He was walking towards them. His green jumpsuit caught Gaara's attention; a large blood stain on the front. Gaara's throat went dry as he watched Guy walk towards them.

"Where is she?" Gaara asked, now ignoring the ninja in front of him.

He pointed with his thump, "She's in surgery upstairs. Shizune sent a hawk ahead and they were prepared to take her."

"Is she alright?" He asked quickly.

"Guy's face fell, "I don't know." Gaara didn't bother to listen to him any more, he ran in the direction Guy had pointed, up a flight of stairs and looked around. A pink haired girl caught his attention.

"Sakura?" She turned to look at him, her eyes fearful just as the front desk woman's had been.

"G-Gaara?" She stammered.

"Did you see where they brought a girl in?"

"You mean the one Guy and Shizune came in with?" He nodded. "Yeah, I'm heading there now...Is she a friend of yours?" Again he nodded and followed her down the hall to where a pair of double doors stood. She kept casting backwards glances at him, worry on her face.

She stopped him before he could follow her into the room, "I'm sorry, but you can't come in here. We can't risk them losing their concentration."

He watched helplessly as she disappeared behind the doors leaving him in the hall alone.

Alone... That's where he would be now. Even if Yukina lived she would hate him. She had seen the monster he had become, what he was truly capable of... she had seen the monster in him...

_Just live Yukina..._

It didn't matter if she hated him, as long as she lived, he could continue living. He didn't want to live in a world where she didn't exist, he had done that once before and it had been unbearable.

Gaara leaned against a wall and waited, it only took about thirty minutes before Kakashi and Sota came up the stairs. Sota walked into the room hesitantly, sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the hall. He cast fearful glances towards Gaara and worrisome looks towards the double doors.

Kakashi approached Gaara, "Any news?" Sota looked up at them hopefully, but Gaara only shook his head.

"If she..." He couldn't finish his sentence.

"Tsunade is the best medical ninja the leaf has ever known, she will do everything she can to save the girl," Gaara nodded, "She's also the Hokage." he added

Gaara watched as Kakashi left. Sota remained staring at his feet, while Gaara continued leaning against the wall in silence. He watched as Sakura exited the room a few times, carrying supplies to and from, but he didn't interrupt her.

_Yukina... your the only one who has ever accepted me for who I am, but... now that you've seen the real me..._

Gaara clenched his fists.

_A monster..._

They waited hours before a blond haired women finally exited the room. Sota stood up immediately and Gaara looked towards her hopefully.

"Her life is no longer in danger." Gaara felt like a weight had left his chest. He didn't realize he had been holding his breath until just then. Sota broke down in tears causing the woman to smile at him sweetly. She approached Gaara then.

"You should really think about changing your clothes, you look like you came from a war zone. I'll get someone to bring you some." She continued past him.

"Thank you." He whispered.

She turned shooting him a smile before heading off.

Sakura came to him a few minutes later, carrying clothes. She handed them to him in silence.

"How is she?" He asked before she could leave.

"She'll be alright, she just needs some more rest. We had to give her quite a bit of blood due to how much she lost." Sakura seemed surprised by his concern.

"I'm glad." She stared at him curiously, but he couldn't meet her gaze.

"You care for her." It wasn't a question. He walked away from her without answering.

Gaara changed his clothes and exited the hospital, walking slowly towards the village gates, his head down.

_She's alive... that's all that matters._

"Gaara." He turned slightly to see Kakashi leaning against the gate. "Where are you going?"

"Suna..."

Kakashi looked at him surprised, "Your leaving, why?"

"Sota can care for her...I'm not sure if I should be here when she wakes up."

"I will send an escort with them back to the village." Gaara nodded in response.

"Gaara." Gaara turned towards him again, "Catch." Kakashi threw a satchel at him containing enough food and water for his trip. He left then without another word.

* * *

Gaara ran... he could feel the anger and hurt wanting to burst from his chest. He clutched it, knowing it wouldn't do anything to ease the pain. He continued to run, willing the pain to subside with each passing stride. She would never look at him the same again, she would never see him as the same Gaara. She wouldn't look at him with that smile, or those eyes he had grown so attached to. The only eyes that didn't give him_ that_ look. They were eyes that cared, eyes filled with kindness.

_What have I done?_

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**I really hope you guys liked this chapter. **

**Please review, they are like little presents to me. I get an email and It's like Christmas time, they are so lovely to read.**

**Please, Please, Please!**

**I listened to the song "Sadness and Sorrow" the entire time I wrote this chapter. I play it on my flute now and absolutely love it! It's so moving!**


	12. No Longer Alone

**Thank you Reviewers!**

**pikatrebond **(I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I hope your friend will like it as well, this is my first fanfiction so I'll glad people are enjoying the story.) :) Just updated this as well, fixing my through and though lol. They look so similar I must just go right over it when I'm editing. Thanks!

* * *

**"Knowing what it feels like to be in pain **

**is exactly why we try to be kind to others..." **

**-Jiraiya-**

* * *

Yukina's eyes opened to a white ceiling. She looked around her room, but there was no one there.

_I'm in a hospital._

She slowly sat up, but felt no pain. Yukina looked at her arm, leg and finally her side. All the wounds had been healed perfectly.

"Yuki?" Sota came through the doorway, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm great." She smiled at him, but he didn't return it.

"Sota?" Sota walked forward suddenly, grabbing her, pulling her into him tightly.

"I really thought...," He hugged her tighter, "You were gone." Yukina returned his embrace.

"I'm fine Sota-"

"I'm sorry." He said suddenly.

"What for?"

"I didn't protect you. If I had done something other than stand there like a coward, then you probably would have never gotten hurt like this... Instead of helping, I let you protect me. You were already hurt, but I was just too much of a dame coward! I just stood there and watched as you ran into the forest, guiding him away from me. I..." His body was shaking.

"Sota," Yukina grabbed his arms, pulling him away from her. She looked directly into his shame filled eyes, "I'm alive, you don't need to blame yourself for my injuries. I'll be fine."

He nodded to her as he took the seat next to her bedside, "Is there anything you need?"

"No, I actually feel wonderful. What happened? How did I get here?"

"Three leaf Jounin happened to pass by us, they had just finished a mission of their own and were on their way home when they felt," he hesitated, "Gaara's chakra change..."

"Where is Gaara?" Yukina asked.

"He left."

"What do you mean he left?!" Yukina sat up straight, looking at Sota in confusion.

"I don't know, Kakashi just told me he headed back to Suna."

"Alone?!"

Sota nodded, "He said they will have a team escort us back to the sand."

_Left?! Why would he just leave? Why didn't he stay until I woke up?_

"Yuki?" She looked at him, sadness in her face. "I know I should be angry with him...but, the pain he showed...He cried for you Yuki."

"Cried...?"

"He really thought he had killed you...I-I've never seen him like that before..."

"I'm not angry with him Sota."

He smirked a little, "No, I didn't really think you would be...but, I'm not sure he realizes that."

"Your scared of him." She stated suddenly.

Sota hesitated before responding, "I have to admit that, but...I also feel for him..."

They sat there in silence for a while.

_Gaara...you've suffered so much..._

A young girl came in to check on her, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel just fine actually."

"That's great to hear, your vitals all look good so your free to go."

"When are we able to head back to Suna?"

"Lady Tsunade wants you to give yourself at least two days before crossing the desert. Just to allow your body to rest. After that she will have a team ready to escort you there."

Yukina stood, dressed into a new pair of clothes and walked out of the hospital with Sota.

"Hungry?" She asked him causally. He nodded and they ate at a little place called Ichiraku.

The next two days went by painfully slow for Yukina. She wanted to get back to Suna, to get back to Gaara and let him know everything was okay. How was he feeling right now, what was he doing? Did he leave because he felt she wouldn't want to see him? She could only imagine the guilt he must be feeling right now. The pain of the loneliness he had always known, it was a burden she would never understand, but it was something she would try to save him from. She wouldn't let him walk the rest of his life in solitude.

It was a team of Genin that was going to see them to Suna. Their team included Neji, Tenten and Lee. She remembered Lee, he had been the one Gaara had injured at the Chunin exams, she remembered Tenten as a weapons user and Neji was the one who had the epic battle with Naruto. They all seemed like a nice team. She liked Lee the most though. His positive attitude and outlook on life was inspiring to her.

* * *

They separated once the five arrived at the gates, they were needed back at the village as soon as possible so there was no time for them to rest, much to Tenten's dislike.

Yukina and Sota both went to their apartments to freshen up. Sota was reluctant to leave her at first, but his apartment was right next door to hers. She assured him she would be fine and would meet up with him later.

Yukina let the hot shower take all the troubles and worry of the last few days off her shoulders. She would find Gaara and speak with him. She would figure out why he had left, why he didn't stay to talk to her then.

_Gaara..._

Yukina dressed and headed out into the village, she went to the sibling's house, but they were no where to be found. She remembered they had been helping with the school so she started there next. Keeping her distance she stood on the roof tops watching them. Temari, Kankuro and Gaara were all there speaking to the students. She watched as they all separated, most of them going to either Temari or Kankuro's team. It made Yukina sad to see them all keep their distance from Gaara. One girl hesitated though and approached him slowly. It seemed at least one of them had chosen him as their teacher.

_Good._

Yukina left, she would speak with him tonight, right now he had other things to attend to.

Once evening fell, Yukina overheard some of the villagers talking.

"Yeah, he went after her too." The man said.

"Gaara did?" Another looked surprised.

Yukina tried to listen in, but was interrupted by Sota.

"Hey there Yuki."

She turned to him, "Hey, do you know what's going on right now?"

"Yeah, apparently Gaara's student Matsuri was kidnapped and his siblings and him have gone after her."

"Why was she kidnapped?!" Yukina asked concerned.

"I think they want Gaara."

_They want Gaara? Why_

Then it hit her.

_They want the Shukaku..._

"We should help."

Sota placed a hand on her shoulder, "They left over an hour ago and have called for the aid of the leaf as well, they'll be fine without us."

Yukina sighed

_I wonder how long it will take him to return..._

Yukina spent the next week unfocused. Gaara was upset, distracted and out there trying to rescue his student. She wanted to be at his side, fighting with him. Yukina got up every morning to run, workout and train with Sota. She was trying anything to distract herself.

"Yuki," Sota panted, "Your killing me here."

"What?" She stood from her stance. She had just kicked Sota and sent him skidding across the sand.

He stood patting his clothes, "We've been training non-stop for six days, I need a break." Sota gave her a concerned look, but Yukina ignored it.

She wandered around the village for the rest of the day, not sure what else to do.

_I hope your safe..._

She could hear some commotion come from the front gate of the village, she hadn't realized she had wandered that far. Yukina hid in the shadows as she watched Temari, Kankuro, Matsuri and finally... Gaara walk through. The young girl was chatting at him enthusiastically. He smiled at her.

Yukina looked at him carefully, he appeared to be unharmed.

She watched as they walked by her. She would talk to him tonight, she wouldn't let him avoid her.

Night couldn't fall fast enough though, once she was sure Sota was asleep Yukina slipped out her window. If she tried to exit through the door, Sota would hear and come running. She jumped on the rooftop and waited. Gaara always came out to the rooftops at night.

After another hour she finally saw him. Yukina approached slowly.

_What should I say to him? Is he okay? Why did he leave? What is he thinking?_

Yukina silently landed behind behind him, "Gaara?"

He seemed to jump slightly as the sound of her voice."What do you want Yukina?" His voice sounded...Angry?

Why would he be angry? What had see done wrong? She felt a stabbing pain shoot through her heart. The pain of rejection. Was he sending her away?

"I...I just thought you might want some company." She tried. He didn't answer, he just stood there, his arms crossed, his back facing her. She stood there too, uncomfortable for several moments, hoping he would say something.

_What's wrong with him...Why is he-_

"I don't understand you at all..." He spoke in almost a whisper. Pain filling his voice.

"Wha-" she began, taking a step forward.

He whirled on her suddenly, "Why aren't you running!? Why don't you hate me!? How can you look at me with those eyes and not be afraid!?" He was frantic now, "You watched me kill _all_ those men!" He clenched his fists together, "You watched me enjoy killing them! You saw me tear their bodies apart and spray their blood all over the ground!" He entire body trembled, but he lowered his voice, "You just... stared at me as I turned towards you. Your eyes holding no fear of me... even after I had all but killed you, your gaze still didn't shift" He shook his head before shouting again, "Why aren't you running!?"

Yukina felt the tears run down her face as she walked forward. She couldn't help it, the amount of pain on his face was too much for her. Surprise crossed his features when her hands slid on the inside of his arms and around his waist. She wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him towards her, resting her head on his shoulder. He stood there without moving, arms outstretched to the side. Yukina could feel his rapid heart rate, feel his body trembling and hear his rapid breathing.

"Gaara," She spoke gently, "How can I show fear of someone I'm not afraid of? How can I hate someone I care for and how can I run from someone I'm trying so desperately to be close to? I'm always going to be here for you, no matter how hard times may be, no matter how much pain it might cause me, I'm going to be here because I'm your friend. I won't abandon you, I won't turn on you and I won't run from you no matter what, besides...you asked me to stay, you asked me not to leave you, so I won't."

She felt Gaara's body tremble violently now as he gave in to the tears that had been threatening him. Slowly, he raised his arms and wrapped them around her. He was hesitant at first, then pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her as though she might disappear at any moment. His body shook violently as the tears from years of loneliness and torment fell. A child that went through this world alone, without anyone to love or care for him. He pushed everyone away, pretending he didn't have this pain, when the pain couldn't have been more real.

She remained there, just holding him. There was nothing to be said, no words that could offer more comfort than those she had already spoken.

* * *

Gaara held her as though she were his life line. He could feel the ache in his heart disappearing. Like all those years of torment were being filled with this one simple action of kindness. She wasn't going to leave, she wasn't going to abandon him. She stayed simply because she wanted to, because she really wanted to be his friend. She wasn't afraid of him, she cared for him and she wasn't ever going to leave. This is what his life had been missing. This is what made Naruto so strong. This is what Yashamaru had been talking about all those years ago. How a wound to the heart can be healed...

He let it all out, she had seen the worst part of him and now she was seeing the most vulnerable part of him. A side he had never shown anyone before.

When he had calmed down a little he spoke, "Thank you."

He felt her smile against his shoulder, "Your welcome."

She would always be there for him...

He wasn't alone anymore...

* * *

**Quick update for you! Hope you enjoyed!**

**Remember to review to feed my motivation! :D**


	13. Arrogance

**Please forgive me for making you wait so long! Editing is so hard for me because I change things time and time again! I will try to post another chapter either tonight or tomorrow depending on what time allows me!**

**My time has also been spent drawing pictures of Gaara and Yukina together that I hope to put into a video for the end of this series. I hope you will like it!**

**Please enjoy!**

**And review!**

**A big thanks to you**

**pikatrebond **(I'm glad you liked how I ended the last one and thank you for your constructive criticism. I did correct that in the last chapter :D)

* * *

**Every broken heart has screamed at one time or another: **

**"Why can't you see who I truly am?" **

**~ Shannon L. Alder**

* * *

As the months went by Yukina's relationship with Gaara grew. He opened up to her, talked to her and even seemed to trust her. They didn't have any further encounters like the one on the rooftop, nor did they speak very much about what had happened. It had been a moment neither would soon forget, but one that shouldn't be dwelled upon. Sota gradually warmed back up to him as well, although those first few conversations had been awkward. They continued going on missions together with all of them proving successful. Their teamwork was flawless. There weren't any missions assigned to them that they couldn't handle after the incident with the sound ninja. It seemed like the village elders had backed off a bit on their plot to kill him. Gaara still helped at the school and had gained a few more students along with Matsuri. There were others in the village that had begun to trust him as well.

It had already been a year since they were in Konoha for the Chunin exams and the exams were again right around the corner. Yukina knew they would pass this time. She hadn't even had the opportunity to fight in the final rounds last year, so no one outside of the sand village knew her abilities. She was glad for this as it would give her an advantage in combat.

"Yukina, Sota." Seki caught them in the middle of their training session. Even their Sensei now acknowledged Gaara, although he was still a little uncomfortable around him. Seki had been a witness to the devastation he had caused the night her parents died, he also knew Gaara was the cause of their deaths. He nodded to Gaara respectfully before addressing his students, "Come to the front of the village in about an hour and I'll introduce you to your new team member."

Yukina's heart sank, she had been hoping Haru would come back and join them for the Chunin exams. Even if he was in the ANBU, he would be an excellent member to their team. Gaara would be on a team with his siblings, as she had expected. They still trained together and their relationship with one another had become strong. Temari and Kankuro were often seen laughing with their brother at their side instead of cowering in fear around him.

"Okay, we'll be there!" Sota exclaimed excitedly.

Yukina gave him an odd look, "What has you so chipper?"

He smiled, "Nothing, just in a good mood."

They waved farewell to Gaara and made their way back to their apartments to freshen themselves up before meeting their Sensei.

As Seki made his way towards them they both noticed the Blonde that walked by his side. He was almost Seki's height, which led Yukina to believe he was a little older than herself.

_Well, at least we aren't going to be stuck with a total novice..._

"Yukina, Sota, this is Kaito." Seki gestured. Sota and Yukina both nodded respectfully towards him.

"Well, I was kind of disappointed when they told me our team leader was a girl, but they didn't say how beautiful you were." Yukina flushed in embarrassment. He proceeded to walk forward, taking her hand and kissing the back of it as Sakura petals fell around them creating a beautiful scene.

Yukina smiled at him as she raised her other hand, "Release."

He seemed surprised, "And cleaver too." He added, she pulled her hand from his and looked at Sota. It was clear they were both thinking the same thing.

_This was going to be a nightmare._

"We will be leaving for Konoha tomorrow so be sure to get plenty of rest tonight." Seki turned, leaving the three.

"I look forward to working with you Yukina." He completely ignored Sota as he followed after Seki. She didn't like the way he said her name, like he already owned her.

"Hey, what about me?" Sota said, fuming, "It's like I didn't even exist!"

"I'd rather be you right now." She joked.

"If he bothers you just let me know Yuki, I'll take care of him." The seriousness on his face made her smile.

"Don't worry Sota, I can handle myself."

She headed home, preparing for their journey tomorrow. She had just climbed out of the shower and into her pajamas when she heard a tap on her window, causing her to smile. Quickly changing back into her cloths Yukina jumped through her window and onto the roof.

Gaara was waiting for her.

"Hey," She said making her way towards him, "You ready for the exams?"

"I'm not worried about them." He replied coolly. She sat down on the roof beside where he was standing and stretched her legs, staring at the stars.

"Did you meet your new team member?" He asked.

"Unfortunately." She sighed. Gaara looked at her questioningly. "He's going to be a pain; I wish Haru had come back for the exams instead of pairing us with someone we don't know. I'm not worried about getting through the exams with him. He seems smart and even if he can't hold his own, Sota and I will be able to get us through the forest with ease. After that we'll be on our own so I won't have to worry about him."

He remained silent for a moment before responding with an unexpected question, "You miss Haru?"

Yukina paused before answering, remembering Haru's confession before leaving the village. He had told her that he loved her and she had declined his offer to leave the village and train with him as an ANBU member. She noticed how Gaara was hesitant when Haru was brought up, like he was expecting her to change her mind and join him.

Like he was expecting her to run...

"Yeah." She finally replied. He seemed to stiffen, "But I'm more worried than anything, he hasn't written or visited a single time."

"ANBU training is different than our own."

"Yeah, I know." She sighed. She laid back on the roof completely with her arms behind her head.

They remained silent for the rest of the night. After the incident a few months ago, Gaara had begun opening up to her. He talked to her about how he felt on many different things. He questioned her about how people acted and why they did or didn't act upon different situations. She wasn't able to answer all of his questions because she didn't know the reasons herself, but he seemed satisfied with her responses. She had found out about how and why his father hated him. It was because Gaara's mother had died giving birth to him and his father couldn't forgive him for that. Gaara didn't have much feeling towards his father, but his mother was another story. It hurt him to know that she had hated him, so Yukina tried to avoid the subject unless he brought it up. She had learned his birthday was January 19th, thus making him a few months older than she was. He had just turned fifteen. She had found out his favorite foods were salted tongue and gizzards, which turned her stomach, with his least favorite being Yokan and Marron Glace. It appeared he wasn't a fan of sweet foods to which she was. She had also discovered that he enjoyed cultivating cacti. She found this last thing interesting and unexpected. He didn't strike her as one having enough patience to care for plants, but generally speaking a plant couldn't cause you a torrent of emotional devastation.

He had grown a little more comfortable with her presence, he no longer jumped as much if she touched him and wasn't surprised by her wanting to be in his company. He still seemed to question her wanting to be around him from time to time, but he was still learning what friendship meant and how deep the bond between two people could be.

* * *

Sota and Yukina walked to the front gates to meet up with everyone. Gaara and his siblings were already there and greeted them as they arrived. Kakuro and Sota immediately began idle chat, while Yukina simply smiled at Gaara and waited silently.

"Looks like Seki is going to be late again." Sota laughed at her and the siblings smiled. They had also formed a bond with them. Sota and Kankuro were particularly close while Temari had taken a big liking to Yukina. She liked having someone around her brother that allowed him to relax. The siblings had all become close to one another, something Gaara was glad for. He hadn't thought they would be able to forgive him for his actions and the pain he had caused.

Yukina hadn't been paying much attention as an arm wrapped itself around her shoulder and a whisper came to her ear, "Hey Yuki." Feeling the hot air of his breath sent unpleasant shivers down her spine. Sota was the only one who called her Yuki, but this defiantly wasn't Sota.

Everything happened in a split second. She saw the disgust appear on Sota's face and the rage that filled Gaara's, but she was the first one to react. She grabbed his wrist hard, ducked under his arm, pulling it backwards with her. She bent his wrist behind his back; kicking the back of his knee and pinning him face down on the ground.

"Don't ever touch me again!" She growled holding him firmly placing emphasis on each spoken word.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" She heard him muffle into the ground. Yukina released him and stepped back. He got up slowly rubbing his wrist, not saying anything. There was surprise on everyone's faces as they stared at her.

Baki appeared on the scene then, "Everything alright here?"

"Yes." Yukina had an icy edge to her voice as she glared at Kaito."

* * *

They made their way across the desert, no one speaking. Yukina ran between Gaara and Sota, while Kaito stayed by Seki. He hadn't made a very good first impression with the team, causing them all to cast him dark glances. She would be trapped with him in a forest for a few days and wasn't looking forward to it.

They made camp and Yukina waited until everyone was asleep before she positioned herself beside Gaara.

"I don't like the thought of you being alone with him." Gaara glared at the sleeping boy.

"Me either." Yukina agreed.

"Do you know anything about him?"

"Only that he uses GenJutsu, he tried it on me when we first met." Gaara frowned, "Don't worry Gaara, if he tries anything I'll put him in his place again."

"You surprised me." He said after a moment.

"Really? Why?" She was curious.

"I didn't expect such a strong reaction from you."

"I don't like being touched by someone so causally. I don't belong to him and he was being very disrespectful."

"He's lucky you got to him first." His voice was almost a growl.

She smiled at this, "I know, but I don't think he does."

* * *

They arrived at the leaf village in the usual three days' time.

"It's been a little while since we've been here!" Sota exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know." She looked at Gaara's expression. It appeared a bit painful, the last time they had been here, she was on the verge of dying by his hand. She approached him, placing her hand on his arm, he jumped slightly from the contact, "You okay?"

"Yeah."

They were shown their rooms by the leaf ninja and then left to their own devices. The written exams would begin in two days, which gave them enough time to rest after their long journey. The leaf had already taken the effort to provide some food in her pantry so Yukina decided to make something to eat. She was sure Sota would arrive to join her; he didn't usually stay away for long. She heard a knock at the door.

_Right on time._

Yukina swung the door open, but was caught off guard by what she saw.

It was Kaito.

She tried to slam the door, but he caught it, "What do you want?" She asked furiously.

"Look, were going to be working together so I just thought it would be a good idea to get to know one another." His eyes locked with hers. His voice was cocky and she hated it.

_What is he thinking? After what he did earlier, he just expects me to let him in?_

"You expect me to invite you in?" She asked sarcastically.

"Yes." He replied in a matter of fact tone. She looked at him stupidly.

"I would have thought you'd be here to apologize."

"For what?" He looked legitimately confused.

Yukina felt anger boiling over, "For your disrespectful behavior!"

"You know, most girls love it when I do things like that to them. Why are you so different?" Yukina took a good look at him then. He was indeed handsome with blonde locks and hazel eyes. He was tall and well-built as well, but his attitude was the thing Yukina disliked.

"I'm not most girls." She growled

"Clearly, I've never been put on my ass like that." He chuckled.

"If you don't leave, I'll do it again."

He scoffed at her, "I'd like to see you try." He leaned away from the door then and left without another word. His voice had been dark and seductive, almost willing her to come after.

Was he challenging her? What was his problem?

Yukina slammed the door and headed back to the kitchen, taking her noodles off the stove. She paced the kitchen fuming. She might kill him before they even got to the Forest of Death.

There was another knock at the door, surprising her.

_Is he serious?!_

She ran to the door, violently pulling it open, ready to "put him on his ass" again as he had put it, but it wasn't Kaito.

It was Gaara.

He seemed surprised by her reaction, taking a step back, "Yukina?"

She let out a sigh of relief, "It's just you."

"You were expecting someone else?" He looked down the hall.

She waved her hand, "Don't worry about it, come on in." She gestured for him to enter. He stood there for a moment, hesitating. It occurred to Yukina then that he had never come into her place before. Granted this was an apartment at the leaf, but still, it was her own living space. They had always met on the roof tops or in open areas.

Areas that would allow her to run...

He had never cornered her, nor it seemed, did he want to.

"Are you sure?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." He entered, sliding off his shoes and placing his gourd against the wall. She closed the door behind him, locking it and headed for the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" he asked, leaning against the entrance.

Yukina filled the tea pot with water before responding, "Kaito stopped by."

She watched as Gaara's body position shifted, "Did he hurt you?"

Yukina slammed the pot on the stove harder than she had meant causing Gaara to cringe slightly.

"I swear I'm going to kill him myself before these exams are over!" She shouted, "He's such an arrogant bastard! He came here and just expected me to let him in! He's taunting me!"

Gaara was silent.

"Sorry, I shouldn't trouble you with such a trivial matter." She sighed in frustration.

"It's not trivial." She looked at his serious expression, "Be careful around him Yukina."

"Don't worry, I will."

The tea pot began to screech and she poured her and Gaara a cup. They stood in the kitchen sipping it when another knock came to the door.

Gaara stood straight, while Yukina sighed, "Who is it now?"

Sota stood at the entrance, "Hey Yuki!" He exclaimed excitedly. He noticed Gaara a moment later and hesitated, "Um...should I come back later?"

"No, no, come on in." She handed him a cup of tea as well, then reiterated what had happened with Kaito.

"Yuki, I'm serious, if he tries anything-"

Yukina held up her hand interrupting him, "Don't worry about it Sota, I'll take care of it myself. He's not going to get away with treating me this way."

* * *

They breezed by the written exams, Yukina didn't so much as look at Kaito. She didn't want to give him that satisfaction. Once they learned about passing they proceeded to the Forest of Death. The instructor gave her usual speech just as she did last time trying to strike fear into some of the new comers. They separated to get their gate numbers and scrolls. They had a heaven scroll this time. She found out Gaara and his team were starting at the opposite end of the arena, therefore they wouldn't be able to work together to get through the forest.

Yukina found Sota among the crowd, safely tucking their scroll into her sash, "Where's Kaito?"

Sota pointed. Kaito was surrounded by giggling girls who were all trying to get his attention. Yukina felt her blood boil. What did they see in him? He was completely rude and disrespectful towards her so why not them. He gently took one of the girl's hands and kissed it, just as he had done hers when they first met. His eyes shifted to Yukina and she jerked her head away to avoid them.

He strolled over towards her, "What's wrong Yuki? Jealous?"

She whirled on him, "I would never be jealous over someone like you!" Yukina stalked off towards their gate with Sota at her side.

They had 5 days to get their scroll and reach the middle of the area, where the tower was. Her goal was to get there in three.

Once the gate opened, the three jumped through, "Alright, were going to head straight for the tower. There will likely be teams waiting there to ambush us for a scroll and we will have an opportunity to take the scroll then. If we are lucky enough we may just come across someone with an earth scroll along the way."

"So you want us to walk right into a trap?" Kaito asked sarcastically.

Yukina was already annoyed with him, "No, were going to be watching for traps, which will indicate an enemy nearby and tell us where a team is hiding."

Yukina suddenly threw a few Kunai in front of her, killing a large centipede crawling down a tree; she didn't stop to look at it. They encountered other creatures along the way, but brought them down quickly as they kept moving.

Dusk began to fall and Yukina stopped. She placed a few traps around their camp to alert them if anyone were to approach.

"Yukina!" She turned, barely catching the glimpse of a Shuriken flying right at her, she didn't have to react however as Kaito jumped in front of her, blocking the Shuriken with his Kunai. Yukina immediately jumped back, looking for their attackers. There was one in the tree above them, another to their left and one to their right.

"Show yourselves!" She yelled.

The one in front laughed, "What scroll do you three have?"

"Heaven" Yukina answered.

"Good, we'll be taking it." The one in the tree jumped down after them, Kaito lunging at him first.

"Sota, to your right!" Sota immediately headed towards the ninja, while Yukina went after the one to her left. He seemed surprised when she came after him. She grabbed his arm just as he was about to throw another shuriken at her and spun him around, throwing him towards the ground. He caught himself before he impacted and jumped to his feet, facing her again.

He quickly made a few hand signs causing a ball of fire to form in each hand. Yukina steadied herself.

_I don't want to show my Jutsu yet, but still, if it's that or being burned..._

He threw them at her, but she dodged easily. She looked back at her attacker only to see another two heading towards her, she dodged these two and continued to dodge the dozens thrown at her. One hit her right arm, burning it slightly. She looked around her as she ducked behind a tree.

_The forest is on fire!_

"Hey," She yelled, "Are you trying to burn down the entire forest, you'll kill all of us?!"

"No, just everyone else." The lack of empathy in his voice made her cringe.

Yukina made a clone to stand in her place and moved the particles of sand below her feet, sinking herself into the ground. She moved beneath ground until she was right behind the ninja and sprung up, wrapping her arm around his throat and pointing a Kunai under it, "Surrender."

He struggled under her grip, but she held on. Eventually his arms felling to his sides as he passed out from a lack of oxygen.

She jumped as a horrible scream filled the air. Looking up she saw Kaito standing over the ninja he was fighting. The enemy had his hands over his head, and had fallen to his knees.

Sota had finished with his opponent as well and came towards her carrying the earth scroll. She looked up at Kaito, who continued his assault.

"Kaito, that's enough! We have the scroll!" Kaito glanced down at her, but made no indication to move. Yukina grit her teeth and began running up the tree.

"Kaito!" She repeated.

"Alright, alright." He sighed and released the ninja who fell towards the ground, Sota caught him.

"You didn't have to be so excessive." Yukina scolded.

He shrugged, "He's the enemy; I had to make sure they wouldn't come after us."

They joined Sota on the ground, tied the three to a nearby tree and sat back down to wait out the night.

_We got our scroll on the first day..._

"Thanks." Yukina suddenly said to Kaito.

"For what?"

_Is he really going to make me say it?_

"For helping me earlier, a Shuriken to the back wouldn't have been the best of things on the first day."

He smiled at her, that cocky smile that made her blood boil, "Well, it's a man's job to protect his woman."

_What?_

"I'm not your woman!"

"Not yet."

Yukina clenched her fists, willing her temper to die down. He was so arrogant and sure of himself that all she wanted to do was knock him down a few feet. She couldn't speak to him again, worried that she might actually sink him below the ground and enjoy watching him struggle for his life. She couldn't wait for these few days to be over.

"Your hurt." He moved forward, reaching for her arm, but she jerked away.

"I told you not to touch me." She warned. He stopped as if remembering something.

"Right, I forgot," He dug in his pocket, "If I ask your permission first, may I?"

The change in his tone made Yukina's rage die down. He was concerned for her, acting like he truly cared. Perhaps he was just worried she wouldn't be able to complete the exam. The wound on her arm wasn't that bad. The back of her upper arm had only been grazed by the fire, but it was still enough to inflict a second degree burn.

"Fine." Yukina yielded. He dug in his pocket, pulling out a small container, "What is that?" She asked suspiciously.

"Salve, it'll help with the burn."

"Why are you being so nice suddenly?"

His face lit up with surprise, "Am I usually unkind to you?"

"Well, not unkind..."

Rude is more like it she wanted to say, but she couldn't.

He gently took her arm, pushing the fabric of her clothing out of the way. She cringed slightly, but his hands were gently. He dabbed on the salve and then wrapped her arm, tying the knot with ease.

"You've done this before?"

"A time or two. Okay then, your all set, sleep well, I'll take the first watch."

Yukina didn't like the idea of leaving him awake while she slept, but he had protected her earlier and he wouldn't be able to pass the course without their help so she decided she could trust him to do that much.

_Gaara..._

She wondered what they was doing right now. She knew they would be alright, most of the Genin would probably avoid him since there had been talk about his returning to the exams. He had made some friends, but most still viewed him as a monster and avoided him at any cost. She watched as Kaito positioned himself in a tree before allowing sleep to take over.

Morning came and Yukina woke with a start. She looked around, seeing Kaito still sitting in a high tree, observing the landscape. Sota was also awake, leaning against a tree, not far from her she noted.

"Why didn't you wake me up Sota?"

He smiled at her, "Wanted to let you sleep in."

They headed out, yet again, avoiding any more confrontation. They saw the tower in view on the afternoon of the third day, just like she had hoped. Upon entering she saw a certain red head leaning against a wall.

"Gaara." His head shot up at her voice. His green-eyed gaze met hers, scanning her. He was at her side a moment later.

"Your hurt." He gently lifted her arm, examining the wound.

"It's nothing, I'm fine." She tried to laugh it off, but watched at Gaara's intense gaze shifted towards Kaito. He too glared at Gaara. It was Sota who broke the silence, completely oblivious to the two's staring contest.

"Well, let's get out of here." He walked towards their gate. Yukina placed a hand on Gaara's arm that was still holding hers. He broke his gaze with Kaito to look at her.

"I'm fine Gaara, It was just a run in with the Genin we got our scroll from." He nodded at her and slid his hand away, going back towards Temari and Kankuro who were staring at Kaito with concern and rightfully so. If Gaara ever thought Kaito had harmed her he would kill him without hesitation.

Yukina approached and opened their assigned door and their scrolls, just as they had done during the previous exams. Seki appeared and led them to their next exam station where they waited for the other teams to arrive. Yukina wasn't surprised, there were eighteen here this time, compared to the twenty-one that had made it last year. Most of them being the same groups. Aside from Gaara's team, and a team from the Cloud, the rest were ninja from the leaf village.

"It seems this year another large group of you have passed," The proctor addressed the group, "We will begin the preliminary matches immediately." The teams made their way up the stairs to clear the arena. Unlike last year, Yukina was able to stand by Gaara's side. Unfortunately, Kaito was there with them as well. It made her feel uncomfortable, but he seemed to keep his distance from Gaara, if that would keep him away from her then she would gladly continue to stay by Gaara's side.

They watched the board in front of them as the first names were revealed.

**Gaara vs. Tenten.**

She looked over at the girl and saw her surprised and fearful expression. It was clear she didn't want to fight Gaara. No one probably wanted to fight him, except for maybe Naruto, but he wasn't here this year. Apparently he was out training with one of the great Sanin.

Gaara left her side and made his way to the arena with Tenten's eyes never leaving him. The proctor called for the match to begin and immediately she jumped backwards, pulling her scrolls out, preparing to throw her weapons at Gaara. He didn't move, he just stood there with his arms crossed. It was clear this girl would be no match for him. Weapons flew at him over and over again, but his sand defenses prevented any of them from making impact. She was on the same team as Lee who had been hurt the previous year by Gaara, however Gaara had told her that Lee and him had made amends.

Tenten stood there panting, her scrolls splayed out in front of her, it was then that Gaara unfolded his hands, guiding his sand towards her. She attempted to run from it, but he quickly grabbed her, encasing her entire body, leaving only her head outside of its confines. She struggled and screamed.

Gaara turned towards the proctor, "Call the match, I don't wish to kill her."

The proctor looked at him for a moment before raising his hand, "Gaara is the winner." Everyone knew what he was truly capable of. Gaara gently let the girl to the ground; pulling his sand back into its gourd. She looked at him blankly, surprised he had not killed her.

Lee jumped down, helping Tenten to her feet before bowing to Gaara, "Thank you very much for not injuring her."

He nodded towards him.

"Alright." The proctor called, everyone again focused on the board. Yukina hoped she wouldn't have to fight anyone from the sand, except maybe Kaito. She would love to take him out, maybe then he would leave her alone.

**Shino vs. Genki**

Genki was on the team of Cloud ninja who had made it past the second exam. Shino was the ninja Kankuro had told her about that used the insects. Apparently he was powerful enough to overcome Kankuro's puppets the last time they had fought during the invasion on the leaf. The battle between the insect user and the Cloud ninja went by quickly. Shino's insects stole his chakra, but Genki succeeded in making a few impacts before he was totally exhausted.

"Shino is the winner!" The proctor called.

**Neji vs. Lee**

Yukina watched as the entire leaf ninjas gasped. Apparently these two were rivals and apart of the same team as well.

"Let's do our best!" Lee called out to his team mate. Neji nodded at him and they both took their stances. Lee made the first move, apparently he was smart enough to take off his leg weights before the matches this year. They fought, but it was clear that Neji had the upper hand. Lee just kept rising to his feet, refusing defeat, even after he had been knocked to the ground time and time again.

"Stay down!" Neji called after him.

"I won't! I won't give up!"

"You can't win." Neji replied.

Lee ran at him again and again, but Neji just kept knocking him back.

"Eight Trigrams, sixty-four palms!" he shouted.

"Neji!" She heard Tenten yell after him. The speed at which Neji could strike surprised Yukina. She silently hoped she wouldn't have to face him. Naruto had beaten him last year, but he had greatly improved.

Lee fell, but not before Neji caught him, preventing his head from hitting the ground.

He turned towards the proctor, "The match is over." Medics ran over to carry Lee out of the room, with Neji following close behind.

"Neji is the winner!"

**Ino vs Katsuto**

Yukina didn't pay much attention to the fight between cloud and leaf; she turned to watch as Lee was carried off. She also noticed Gaara's watchful eye as well. He felt for Lee since he had caused him so much pain the year before. They weren't as close as her and Gaara or even Gaara and Naruto, but he was still a friend.

"Katsuto wins!"

She glanced up to see the next two contestants

**Kaito vs Makoto**

She thought it might be bad of her, but she hoped the other ninja would defeat Kaito. He had helped her, but she still had a great disliking for the kid. She noticed that Gaara, too, was going to be watching this match with interest. They hadn't spoken since the matches began, but being surrounded by Sota, Kankuro and Temari made it difficult for them to have their "talks". Gaara was very reserved on an emotional level and had only ever opened up to her. It was true that his siblings and he were much closer, but he still didn't share how he was feeling with them.

The cloud ninja that Kaito faced was huge. He looked like a giant for his age, with large muscles and a bad attitude. From his looks it seemed he was a combat fighter. He launched himself at Kaito. Kaito moved easily, but didn't strike at him when the opportunity clearly presented itself.

_Is he stupid?_

He had the perfect opportunity to strike, but he had retreated instead. The larger ninja was clearly slower than Kaito was, but he had just let him go.

The ninja again launched himself at Kaito a few more times with the same result. He suddenly froze, staring into space. He had been about to run at him again, but had just stopped. Kaito had formed a sign in his hand and was now holding it. Nothing moved and no one spoke.

_Genjutsu…_

It seemed like time stood still for a few minutes before she heard the waling scream of the Cloud ninja. He fell to his knees, trembling and trying to fight off something around him that didn't exist.

"Please, stop! I forfeit!" He screamed. The proctor indicated to Kaito, who then obliged. The young man slumped forward, while Kaito just walked past him and rejoined his team in the stands without saying a word; That annoying smirk still on his face.

"Kaito wins!"

The medics took the Cloud ninja off the field after some convincing that there weren't monsters flying around him any longer.

**Kiba vs Choji**

Choji didn't really seem like the battling type and went down pretty easy against Kiba, quickly running back to his chip bag even through the medical team was trying to tend to him. Yukina wondered if he would ever make Chunin.

**Yukina vs Hinata**

Yukina looked at the screen and then met the eyes of the shy girl across the space. Gaara glanced at her, but she just smiled and walked down the ramp. She would have to keep her distance from the Hyuga. After watching Neji's and Lee's fight she knew their Jutsu specialized in close combat, hers on the other hand was for distance fighting. She still didn't want to reveal her sand to her opponents if she could avoid it. Instead she copied one of Gaara's moves.

Yukina had grains of sand that she had previously brought in with her make their way to her body. Crawling up and covering her in a layer of protection. If Hinata hit her, the sand would take the impact instead of her Chakra points.

"Good luck." The girl nervously whispered to her with a small smile.

Yukina smiled back, "You too."

To Hinata's surprise Yukina ran at her as soon as the proctor told them to begin. Hinata ducked under her punch, sending a blow to Yukina's abdomen. She jumped back, readjusting her sand armor.

_Good, this was going to work._

Yukina then ran at her again and this time the two began a dance of blows with one another. Each dodged and landed strike after strike. Hinata held her own and Yukina remembered how determined she had been last year after Naruto kept encouraging her. This girl wouldn't give up easily. Yukina finally decided to wrap a thin layer of sand around her arm and struck the girl in the face. The blow sent her flying into the wall behind her. Yukina had not intended to hurt her, but if she didn't knock the girl out, then this fight would never end.

She allowed her sand to fall from her body discreetly, with everyone around them assuming she was simply using Taijutsu. The only ones to know otherwise were Sota, Gaara and his siblings. Medics ran to the girl's side and carried her off declaring she would be unable to continue.

"Yukina is the winner!" The proctor shouted.

**Sota vs Kankuro**

Yukina gasped, those two were like best friends. She wished they didn't have to fight one another, but they both smiled and made their way to the arena. Yukina knew Sota would never be able to beat Kankuro. They had spared a few times before and Kankuro's ability far outmatched Sota's. It took a few minutes and Sota did manage to force Kankuro to reveal that his body was actually being carried on the puppet's back, but ultimately Kankuro was the victor.

The last match was between Sakura and Temari, but Yukina didn't stick around for it. She followed Sota to the medical room, fully award of both Gaara's and Kaito's gaze following her.

Upon entering she saw him sitting up, "You alright?"

"Yeah." He smiled at her, "I knew I wouldn't be able to beat him, but I wasn't going to make it easy for him either." He laughed.

She watched as the team finished with him before they headed back out to the arena.

"You think Temari will win her fight?"

"Probably, knowing her."

After a few minutes Yukina watched as two stretchers were brought into the room. One carrying the pink haired Sakura and the other carrying Temari. Kankuro and Gaara followed after them.

"What happened?!" Yukina exclaimed.

"Girls" Kankuro replied.

"They knocked each other down and neither could continue so they called the match a draw." Gaara answered.

"So Temari won't be continuing?"

"No." Was Kankuro's short reply."

Yukina was sad for her. Both Kankuro and Gaara would probably become Chunin and Temari would be the only one to return to the exams in six months. Sota would be joining her as well, so perhaps they would be put on a team together.

* * *

Yukina waited for Gaara outside the gates, but was approached by Kaito, "Were you waiting on me Yuki?"

"No, and stop calling me that." She growled at him, crossing her arms.

"Why? Sota calls you that."

"Sota is my friend."

"And I'm not? I do recall preventing you from becoming injured."

"Friends don't make one another feel uncomfortable."

"Well-" He was cut off as Gaara came into view.

"You ready Gaara?" The piercing glare between the two boys didn't go unnoticed. He walked beside her as they headed out.

Gaara, Yukina and Sota all decided to spent the next month training hard. Since they no longer functioned as a team, Yukina saw no reason to include Kaito.

"So what happens if we have to face one another?" Sota asked between punches directed at Yukina.

She ducked, trying to come up with an uppercut, only to be blocked by a wall of mud, "I guess we just get to see who's the better fighter."

Sota jumped backwards, slamming his hand into the ground, sending a wave of mud towards her, Yukina jumped, but the wave changed positions, coming straight at her. She couldn't avoid it. Sand stopped the impact.

Sota turned to face Gaara crossing his arms, "You do know I wouldn't hurt her."

"I know, but I see no reason for her to expend any more energy trying to block your attacks than is necessary."

Yukina chuckled at him.

* * *

The following day Yukina decided to stay inside and pick up a book to read. She hadn't had the chance to relax by herself and get lost in a good book in a while, but she was interrupted with a knock on her apartment door. She knew it couldn't be Sota because he was out with Kankuro roaming the leaf village. She hoped they would stay out of trouble.

Yukina opened the door to find Temari.

"Oh, hello Temari, want to come in?" She was surprised to see her.

"Sure." She had a huge smile on her face. Yukina went to the kitchen to put on some tea, but Temari stopped her, "Don't worry about that, were actually going to be leaving."

"We?"

"Yea, have you heard about the festival?"

"No."

"The leaf is having a festival in honor of the ninja for the Chunin exams and it's tomorrow night. They want to celebrate the hidden villages working together with one another."

"Oh, that sounds like fun." Yukina smiled.

"Do you have something to wear." Yukina's smile faded.

"I didn't think so, so were going shopping."

The girls found a shop that sold Kimono and Yukina bought herself one. She hadn't been to a festival since she was a little girl and was thrilled have the chance to attend one at a different village. She loved playing games, eating sweets and most of all watching the fireworks that always followed them.

"Hey Temari." She inclined her head, "Is Gaara going?"

"Yes, he's going! I'm not letting my little brother sit at home!"

She though she saw a faint hint of a sly smile cross Temari's expression, but decided she had imagined it.

* * *

**I hope you liked this chapter and I will try to write the next as fast as I can. **

**Remember your lovely reviews are what keep me writing so feel free to leave one for me. I love hearing from you!**

**Thank you so much for reading!**


	14. Beautiful

**I can't believe I've hit over 40,000 words! :D**

**Just as promised, I got this one up soon, but another might not be till next week, but I'll do my best!**

**Thank you so much for your reviews!**

**pikatrebond (**Thank you so much for your constant support, you have reviewed almost every single chapter! I love it! I need more people to review like you do, it's so inspiring to read them and see how you feel, what your opinions are and such. Also as a side note for you Hinata wasn't hurt, she was only beaten and I had to make Yukina do it because Hinata becomes a badass character. I mean she took on Pein, that says enough in itself! I'm also a huge Hinata fan!)

* * *

**Not many people know when love really starts…**

**More than a friend, **

**but not quite lovers.**

**A delicate relationship like this changes gradually once it is noticed, **

**and keeps on blossoming, **

**Just like the changing seasons.**

**~ Boys Be ~**

* * *

Yukina looked herself over in the mirror. She was wearing a soft blue floral Yukata with a lavender Obi around it. Her air was pinned up high in the back with some loose strands falling around her face. She had also placed a lavender trailing floral hairpiece beside her bun. Her oval shaped geta sandals also had a blue floral design to them, matching her dress.

She was excited. She hadn't been to a festival since she was a little girl. She loved the activities, games and food and couldn't wait to have fun.

Temari had told her that Gaara was coming as well, which made her excited. They had never really done anything together other than training and talking on the rooftops at night.

Yukina closed her apartment door and locked it before she turned to see Sota gaping at her.

"Yuki…" He said almost breathlessly.

"What?" She smiled.

"You look absolutely stunning!" Yukina blushed a little at Sota's complement. She hadn't expected such a strong reaction from him.

"You don't look too bad yourself." She countered back. Sota also wore the traditional Yukata. His was blue with a black Obi around the waist.

Sota approached her and held out his arm,"Shall we?" Yukina giggled and wrapped her arm in his allowing him to lead her towards the festival. People were already crowding the streets making their way there. She could hear the taiko drums and fue flutes already. It seemed like the whole village was going.

They waited for the siblings beside an agreed upon building that had been abandoned.

Sota spotted Kankuro in the crowd and waved them over. Yukina turned noticing them and Kankuro stopped dead in his tracks.

"Yukina, your gorgeous!" She again blushed at the second complement of the night.

"Stop drooling Kankuro!" Temari teased him, "You really do look great Yukina."

"You too!" Yukina looked around them, "Gaara's not here?"

Temari's eyes fell, "He said he wasn't sure about coming." Yukina felt her heart sink.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Don't know." The three began talking to one another while Yukina remained quiet.

_Why wouldn't Gaara want to come?_

They began heading towards the festival, when Sota turned, "Hey Yuki, you coming?"

"I have something to do first."

"Want me to come with you?"

"No." She turned walking back towards the center of the village. Temari came forward grabbing Sota and carried him off with her.

* * *

Gaara walked past his sister, whom he barely recognized. She had her hair up and wore a pink Yukata with a red Obi. Something she never wore and was in a dress of all things. Kankuro too was dressed up. They both turned to him as he entered the living room.

"Aren't you coming?" Temari asked.

"To what?"

"To the festival tonight of course!" She looked at him shocked that he had forgotten already.

"No." His response was bored. He didn't want to deal with a swarm of people around him. They always cast him those looks and stayed away from him out of fear. Not that he could blame them. He was responsible for the death of several innocent people and those kind of sins weren't easily forgiven.

"But I told Yukina you would be there!"

Gaara stopped mid stride on his way up the stairs.

Yukina wanted him to come? Why? What entertainment could he possibly provide her that his siblings or Sota couldn't.

"She'll be disappointed if you don't go…" Temari pleaded.

Would he really disappoint Yukina? Did she really ask if he were going?

"I'll think about it." He finally said. He heard his siblings leave and decided to shower and clean up. He had just gotten back from training in the desert alone. Yukina had other plans today. He had also been keeping an eye on Kaito to ensure he didn't bother Yukina anymore.

He stood in his room in a towel looking at the black Yukata Temari had gotten for him. He had told her not to, but she had done it anyway, no doubt hoping he would go. If he didn't, he could always return it.

Gaara finally decided to try the clothes on. They fit well, Temari had always been the one doing the laundry around the house and took care of them like a mother would. His own mother had hated him, so having Temari around really lifted his spirits. She might not know it, but he really appreciated all her help.

He wrapped the sand colored Obi around his waist and adjusted it, then sat back down on the bed, unsure of himself.

A knock came to the door, but he ignored it. It was probably just someone for Temari or Kankuro anyway. Everyone else in the whole village seemed to be going to the festival.

The knock came again...

And then again...

_Persistent..._

Annoyed Gaara rose, heading down the stairs and opened the door.

He stood there stunned...

The girl in front of him turned her head and those beautiful, soul piercing Sapphire eyes locked on his. She smiled at him and spoke, but he didn't hear her at first. She wore a floral Yukata, with her hair up and a little hair piece that accented her eyes even further. He felt his mouth go dry and his heart beat quicken.

"Gaara?" He brought himself out of his daze.

"Yukina..." He breathed in a whisper before regaining his composure, "What are you doing here?" He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Well... Temari said you weren't sure about going to the festival, so I thought I'd come and get you."

Gaara sighed, taking his eyes from hers, "I've never been to one."

"So, let's go!" She exclaimed.

Gaara still hesitated, unsure of himself, "People don't do well around me."

"I'll be fine, there will be so many things they are preoccupied with that they won't notice you at all. You don't have to worry, it'll be fun."

Gaara smirked, she could talk him into almost anything. He closed the door and locked up after sliding on his sandals and walked with her towards the festival. After all this time and all she had seen she still came after him. She had promised not to run from him, but he still waited for the day she would. He knew there would come a day when she saw something so terrifying that it would drive her away. But what else could she see? She had witnessed first hand his Shukaku transformation as well as the devastation the fully transformed Shukaku could cause. She had also watched him tear people apart with his bare hands and despite even in his demonic state, she still came for him.

Was happiness possible for him? Could people truly be around him simply because they wanted to be? He still had trouble believing it, but even if they were lies, they were the sweet lies that he longed for.

He could begin hearing drums and flutes playing and as they rounded a corner there was a mass of people in front of them.

"Where are the other three?" He asked.

"I told them to go on ahead, so it will just be the two of us until we can find them."

_Just the two of them, and she was okay with that. He still didn't understand._

Yukina's eyes lit up as they entered the festival grounds. He stayed right by her side to prevent them from being separated. There were booths all around them with a variety of food, games and activities. Yukina rushed over towards one, talking to the man. He handed her two sticks and she ran back towards Gaara.

"Here, try one!" She handed the stick to him.

"What is it?"

"Chicken, it's good!" He tasted the food and it was indeed good. Yukina knew he didn't prefer sweet foods, which is probably why she had chosen to get him this one. They walked around and he took in all the sights with her. She got a little fish shaped pastry and offered him one, but he declined. As he had said before, sweets weren't his preference.

Yukina suddenly grabbed his hand and led him over towards a booth. The sudden feeling of her small, warm hand in his felt wonderful. It send a pleasant feeling through him, that he only ever felt when she touched him. He was beginning to see the boundaries of what she allowed her friends to do. She didn't like being touched, that had been made very clear when she had thrown Kaito to the ground, but he had seen her hug Sota and she had embraced him a few months ago. She also never flinched around him if they made contact and even initiated contact herself with these simple gestures.

To his disliking she released his hand once they reached the booth. There were little gold fish swimming in a tub and others were trying to catch them in a paper net, but it kept breaking on them. Yukina spoke to the woman behind the tank and was handed her own paper net. Gaara watched as she carefully scooped a few little fish into the bowl before the net broke through. She was laughing and giggling, looking up at him to ensure he was watching her. The woman offered to put them in a bag, but she declined saying they wouldn't survive the trip home. She then handed a net to him.

"Come on and try it." she urged. He unfolded his arms and knelt down beside her. She scooted over a little to give him some room. Gaara gently placed the net into the water and lifted a small fish into the bowl with ease. He then proceeded to do the same with a few more before his net broke releasing the final fish he was trying to catch.

Yukina laughed, "You caught more than I did!"

"This was my first time playing."

"Really? I guess you just have a talent for it." Gaara helped her to her feet and they proceeded walking around again. Yukina appeared to be happy and content with this place. She kept pointing out different things and looking at all the booths and games. She watched others play and clapped when they succeeded.

He could do this...live normal like this. Forget about the painful world he had been born into. She was like a light that shown through his darkness, keeping him from tipping over the edge of insanity. She gave him a purpose for living and it was then that he decided she was truly his friend, truly someone that would never leave his side.

Gaara could see an opening in the crowd ahead and hear different music playing. He followed Yukina through the crowd to find people dancing. He knew this dance. It was the Bon-odori or the dance that welcomed the dead to join the festival. He hadn't expected to see this here. He had heard about it and seen it preformed from the roof tops back home. Yukina walked forward and joined in the dance. He watched her for several minutes. The expression on her face told him this dance was important to her. No doubt she was doing it to honor her parents.

Surprising himself, Gaara walked forward to join her. He knew the dance, he had watched it several times. Where he had never actually gone to a festival, he had seen them many times from the safety of the Kazekage building and the village rooftops. He couldn't directly participate in any of the events within his village because everyone would run from him.

Yukina seemed surprised when he joined her and even more surprised that he could keep up without stumbling. They continued this for a little while before she headed back into the crowd.

"How did you know that?" She asked.

"I watch." She smiled at him.

They were suddenly caught in a mass of people and forced apart as they came through. It seemed like a group carrying supplies as they had a variety of lanterns and other larger objects. Gaara searched for her, trying to keep her in his sights. With this many people, it would take forever to find her again. They still hadn't found his siblings or Sota. He spotted her making her way towards his end and headed towards a quiet corner. Her shoe caught the ground, causing her to stumble forward and he rushed to prevent her from falling.

He caught her, holding her in his arms... as they stood their faces were close and her eyes met his.

His heart skipped a beat...

What was this sudden feeling...

this urge to pull her closer...

He held her, but not enough to prevent her from pulling away.

She could still run if she chose...

But she stayed, long enough to have already regained her balance, long enough to tell him she wasn't moving. Long enough to tell him she wasn't afraid. He leaned down slightly, still watching her reaction. He felt his cheeks flush slightly.

.

"YUKI!" Regaining their senses the two pulled away, standing straight and watching as Sota came barreling through the crowd. Temari and Kanuro followed close behind him.

It took Yukina some time to catch her breath. Had he really just tried to kiss her? Her heart was racing, she was afraid to look up at him.

"We've been looking for you guys forever," Kankuro stated, "Where have you been?"

"Enjoying the festival." Gaara stated simply.

Temari touched Yukina's shoulder forcing her back to reality, "You alright?" she whispered.

Yukina nodded, "Yeah." Temari looked from her to Gaara and back and Yukina knew she saw the sly smile this time.

"Alright, if you say so."

"The fireworks display will be starting here soon and we heard about a perfect spot to view them from up on the ledge over there!" Sota pointed.

The group began walking that way, Sota chatting idly with Kankuro. Yukina glanced over at Gaara who continued to stare straight. Perhaps she had imagined it. Maybe he had just been helping her up and she thought something more was happening. She was saddened by the thought. She ran the scene through her head again and again. She could have imagined it, she could have just been hopeful. What would she know about it anyway. It's not like she had ever been kissed before. The thought still made Yukina's heart race.

Yukina walked behind Gaara heading up a steep slope to the place they were going to watch the fireworks. Her shoes slide a few times, but she managed to keep her balance. At the top Gaara turned to extend his hand to her. She took it, still avoiding his eyes. She didn't know what she would see there. Would she see that same unemotional look that he gave everyone else, the surprised expressions he usually reserved only for her, or that look in his eyes again...or the look she could have imagined.

Kankuro and Sota sat down in the grass followed by Temari and Yukina. Gaara remained standing by her side. He still didn't speak to her. Sota and Kankuro continued their idle chat, while Temari kept casting worried glances at the two of them.

.

Gaara stood there unsure of himself. He had truly just tried to kiss Yukina and was sure she knew it. She wouldn't meet his gaze. Was it because she didn't want to kiss him, or perhaps he had embarrassed her. He cast a sideways glance towards her. She sat there, fiddling with the blades of grass below her hand, but otherwise showed no interest in conversation. Just as he was about to speak to her a loud crack filled the air, along with a dazzling display of light. Yukina's head shot up and he noted the smile that spread across her face. He watched the display as well, listening to his siblings clap and shout when something spectacular happened.

After the display and climbing down the hill Temari spoke, "We forgot to get something back at the festival, so we'll meet you back at the house."

The boys seemed to look at her confused, but Kankuro agreed, "Yeah, that right!"

"What are you guys-" He was cut off as Kankuro and Temari grabbed him, dragging him off.

Yukina and Gaara stared after him for a moment before Gaara spoke, "Come on, I'll walk you home." Yukina nodded.

What was she going to do?

Would he try it again?

Was he going to talk about it?

Did it even happen?

Yukina began to doubt herself further as they drew closer to home.

"Thank you." He said suddenly.

Yukina flushed, "For what?"

"For inviting me along."

She relaxed now and smiled finally looking up at him, "Your welcome, I hope you had fun."

"Tonight has been one of the best nights of my life." For the first time Gaara seemed genuinely happy. It was like all the pain from his past had been wiped away, even if only for a night. He was able to escape to a safe reality.

Gaara followed her to her door, she unlocked it and turned towards him.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He turned to leave.

"Gaara..." Her heart skipped as he turned back. She approached him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him close. He froze and she could hear his quickened heartbeat. Nervously, he wrapped his arms around her, returning her embrace. His body trembled just as it had done the first time she hugged him, but it was different this time. Pulling back Yukina smiled at him.

"Why did you-?"

"It's my thanks for having fun with me." With a final smile she turned and headed into her apartment.

Gaara stood there for a moment before willing his feet to move. She had willingly embraced him... again. This time as a thanks. She didn't bring up their "moment" so perhaps she didn't want to talk about it. Had it been real? Was he reading into the situation wrong? He wasn't sure. When he arrived home, he found Temari and Kankuro there.

Temari smiled at him, "So?" She pressed. He looked at her confused. Temari's face fell and Kankuro let out a disappointing sigh. Confused by their behavior, he decided to avoid them and went upstairs to his room for the night.

_Yukina..._

The beautiful girl who had saved him from himself...

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**I hope you enjoyed their little "moment" there will be much more of them to come in the future, but for now you'll have to wait :D**

**Please leave a review for me! Please, Please, Please! I see how many of you are following and loving the story. Even a one word comment or a smiley face is enough to make my day!**

**Till the next chapter...**

**FYI:**

**Yukata is a summer Kimono.**

**I hope I described the dance correctly, I had to do some research on the reasoning behind that one...**


	15. Final Exams

sooo...this is kind of embarrassing, but I forgot to add two characters to the preliminary rounds. I forgot our poor Choji and Kiba. I know how terrible of me! So I added a very small part into my last chapter and decided to post it here for you.

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**_Kiba vs Choji_**

_Choji didn't really seem like the battling type and went down pretty easy against Kiba, quickly running back to his chip bag even through the medical team was trying to tend to him. Yukina wondered if he would ever make Chunin._

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**Thank you for the reviews!**

**Pikatrebond - **As always you are commenting and I'm so glad you loved it. Sota had horrible timing I know lol

**a Wiccan - **I just about fell over laughing when you said you scared your cat HAHA

**Shadow-Shinobi666 - **So glad you are enjoying the story :)

**Mandy** (my dear little sister) - So happy you are enjoying my writing.

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**To love someone is nothing, **

**To be loved by someone is something, **

**but to be loved by the one you love is everything"**

Yukina dressed and headed for the Stadium, meeting up with Sota along the way.

"You ready for this Yuki!"

She laughed at his enthusiasm, "Yeah, I just hope I don't have to face any of my friends."

"It's not that bad, Kankuro beat me, but it's all fun." He smiled.

They made their way to view the board that listed their battles. There was an even number of contestants unlike last year. Gaara would be starting these exams with a battle against the bug tamer Shino. She was confident Gaara could beat him. Next up would be Neji and Kiba followed by the cloud ninja Katsuto fighting Kaito. She still hoped for Kaito's loss. The final battle would be between...

Herself and Kankuro?

_She had to fight Kankuro?_

"Hey! It looks like you two will be facing each other today!" Sota exclaimed. Yukina hadn't realized the siblings were now standing behind her. Kankuro's face fell and he appeared a bit paler than before.

_Did he not want to fight her?_

They made their way up to the stadium and stood waiting. They had arrived a little early. Kaito then joined them as well standing off to the side.

_Why did he bother even coming up here when no one wanted him here? He clearly had problems with Gaara. She hoped he wouldn't bother her today. She wasn't sure how much more her friends could hold back their tempers. Especially Gaara._

After a time the proctor finally asked for the first contestants to make their way to the arena.

Gaara made his way down meeting Shino. These were both two people who didn't talk much and not many people knew a whole lot about them.

As soon as the proctor told them to begin, both Gaara and Shino raised their arms creating a dark ominous cloud behind them. Gaara's was a whirling fury of sand and Shino was surrounded by his flying insects. They launched their attacks at one another, both standing amid the chaos. Gaara decided to make a different move, shifting the ground beneath Shino and knocking him off balance. He began to create a whirlwind of sand all around himself and expanded it to lash out against Shino. The sand tore at the insects seemingly disintegrating them. Shino cried out as the sand ripped at his skin. He tried surrounding himself with his insects, but they were still being swept away by the ever increasing sand. Yukina could barely see what was happening as the cloud grew thicker and thicker.

The sand finally died down. Apparently the proctor had stepped in to call the match, declaring that Shino could no longer continue.

Gaara made his way back up to the stadium where Yukina and the others stood. She smiled at him and he nodded towards her. They hadn't really spoken much since the festival. He didn't come to her rooftop for their "talks" nor did he seek her out after that point. He was either too busy or pulling away.

_She couldn't tell…_

_Maybe she had pushed too hard at the festival and now her presence made him uncomfortable?_

_Maybe he didn't know how to tell her he wasn't interested?_

She glanced back down into the stadium sighing.

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Gaara stood there lost in his thoughts. He didn't know how to react around Yukina now. The way he felt about her had changed. It was like the festival had completely changed his perspective of her. He cast a glance at the arena. The next two fighters were someone named Kiba and the Huga. This fight would decide who his next opponent would be, but he wasn't able to focus on them.

He stole a glance at her.

She stood away from him beside Sota, leading against the railing watching the fight below. His heart began to race again as he thought about her falling into his arms. How close their bodies had been, how warm she had felt. Then how he had felt when she embraced him later that night.

It felt...

Safe...

Like there was nothing that could cause him any more damage, no one in this would who could hurt him any longer. He wanted that feeling back. He wanted to be closer to her, but she was far beyond him. He didn't understand friendship let alone relationships, but he wanted it...

The wind picked up causing her to tuck her hair behind her ear, exposing her neck. Seeing her skin made him blush and he had to look away before anyone realized he had lost his composure.

He noticed movement in the far corner and realized Kaito, too, was staring at Yukina. It was clear, he wanted to possess her, and he too wanted Yukina for his own. The thought of Kaito's hands anywhere near her made his blood boil. Yukina had already made it very clear she did not like this boy, yet he continued to strive after her. Gaara wasn't sure he would be able to keep his temper in check if he were to try it again.

**Neji Huga is the winner!**

The proctor called him out of his thoughts.

Kaito and the cloud ninja Katsuto were next. Kaito had better lose this match; if he were to fight him, Gaara was sure he would kill him.

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Yukina leaned up to stretch, seeming disinterested in this fight.

She turned to Kankuro, "It looks like were next." Yukina watched as Kankuro's eyes shifted warily to Gaara before quickly turning away without speaking.

It hit her.

Kankuro didn't want to fight her because of Gaara. He was afraid of his brother's reaction.

Gaara's gaze followed her as she walked up to Kankuro and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry so much, Gaara isn't going to be angry about a friendly match between two friends." She cast Gaara a glance. His icy stare at Kankuro melting a little.

Kankuro raised his head to look at Gaara.

"We won't hurt one another; if we feel like the match is over we will call it. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Kankuro seemed to cheer up a bit and Gaara relaxed slightly. It was clear he had been pensive about Kankuro facing her. No doubt torn between his brother and his friend.

Much to Yukina's liking Kaito lost his match, although she wished the ninja had injured him a bit more. Perhaps it would have taken his pride down a few notches.

Kankuro and Yukina made their way to the arena side by side, "You know Gaara will kill me if I so much as scratch you."

She sighed, "I'll handle Gaara, don't worry about him, just promise me a good match."

He chuckled, "You don't have to live with him."

The two stood facing each other as the proctor told them to begin.

_Well, I won't be able to hide my sand from them any longer. I won't be able to defeat Kankuro without it._

Yukina immediately threw her sand at Kankuro, causing him to jump back.

The crowd gave a small gasp…

She was aiming for the pack on his back. She knew his routine. He decided not to waste time either and revealed himself and his puppet. He also called forth the Black Ant from a scroll he was carrying.

_So he was improving..._

Yukina stood facing him, Crow and the Black Ant. It was clear, his goal was to trap her and force her to forfeit the match.

He launched Crow towards her; she dodged it and headed straight for Kankuro. He seemed surprised as he ducked under her incoming fist. He ducked a few more times before she had to jump and avoid Crow. She twirled around the puppet as it came at her again, using its back to kick herself into the air. She sent her sand flying at the puppet, completely engulfing it. She landed and jumped again as Black Ant came up behind her.

She couldn't risk a glance, but she could only imagine what Gaara's facial expression was like right now. He had a habit of interrupting her sparing matches if she were going to get hurt. He wouldn't tolerate it on any level and now he was being forced to watch her dodge every move by herself.

_Good... maybe now he'll let me fight on my own._

She dodged Crow again before slamming her hands to the ground, causing it to shift. Kankuro lost his balance, giving Yukina the opportunity to land a blow. The impact of her punch knocked him over and she came around with another kick. Kankuro caught her foot, spun around and launched her towards his puppet. She got a last look at Gaara's enraged face before the Black Ant enclosed around her.

She didn't waste time. Yukina summoned her sand and poured it into the holes of the puppet; she pushed it against the sides as hard as she could. Cracks could be heard as well as Kankuro's gasp.

She gave an explosive serge of Chakra and the puppet exploded around her, she immediately ran towards the surprised Kankuro and slammed him to the ground, pinning him with her sand. She put a little pressure on it, completely immobilizing him.

His puppets fell to the ground.

"Alright, you win."

The proctor raised his hand, declaring Yukina the winner of the match. She helped Kankuro to his feet and walked with him towards the stands.

He hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

"He's going to be angry with me."

She smiled, "Don't worry, okay?"

Just as Kankuro said, Gaara stood there with anger clearly displayed across his face. It wasn't rage, but it was still intimidating. Kankuro kept his head down as he walked behind Yukina. She approached him, placing her hand on his crossed arms, causing his gaze to meet hers.

"Don't be angry with him, I'm not hurt."

Gaara studied her before his facial features softened.

"Gaara and Neji please come forward!" The proctor called.

"They're going to start already?!"

The two made their way down facing one another. This battle was going to be intense. Gaara and Neji were two very different fighters. Gaara was a long distance fighter while Neji was a close combat fighter. It would be a similar outcome to hers and Yukina's battle. Neji wouldn't be able to get close enough to Gaara unless he was quick about it and even then his sand armor should protect him. The problem was he was smarter than Hinata and had already seen Gaara's defenses. She had heard his class mates praising him as a genius. He had likely been forming a plan ever since he won against Kiba.

Despite him being a genius the fact was that Neji was a close-range fighter and couldn't get anywhere near Gaara. The battle went on forever. Neji continued blocking Gaara's attack's with his rotation, but it was clear he was growing tired. He tried a few attempts at attacking Gaara head on, but they were in vain. Gaara's barrier blocked every attack and Gaara was smart to move once Neji closed in on him anyway. Even an accidental hit from a Hyga could end the match.

Gaara launched one final assault towards Neji, he was kneeling on the ground and didn't notice the attack until it was on him. The spears of sand stopped inches in front of his face. He remained there frozen before the match was called. Neji had admitted his defeat. There was no point in fighting to the death during these matches.

"There will now be a thirty minute break before the next match!"

It was a relief to finally have a break and get the opportunity to stretch her legs.

Yukina decided to take a short walk to the wash room to prepare for her own upcoming battle. After all the excitement the guests in the stands needed a short break as well. It was clear the cloud ninja was strong, and might give her quite a fight. He had brute strength, but also a cunning ability. He had broken Kaito's Genjutsu and defeated him with physical combat. She washed her hands and splashed water onto her face allowing the cooling sensation to bring her body alive.

_This is it… If I can just beat him, I'll be happy. They'll have to promote me to Chunin for sure._

She exited only to find Kaito waiting for her.

_Really…_

She could feel her rage building, "Why do you keep following me! What do you want?"

He made a point to avoid her when she was in Gaara's company, but it appeared once leaving his side Kaito was again going to continue his advances.

Kaito moved towards her, putting her back to the wall, he placed one hand beside her head and leaned on it, preventing her from moving.

"Don't-"

"I know, I know, don't touch you, I get it." He interrupted her. "I just have a question for you Yuki."

He was so close to her face now, she could smell his breath, which wasn't unpleasant, but his closeness made her uncomfortable.

"What?"

"What is it about me that bothers you?"

"Seriously? How about your attitude towards me."

"How do you mean?"

"You are completely disrespectful towards women! You act as if you own them and you keep following me around like some stocker!"

"Your wrong," He shook his head, "I only act that way around you."

"Wha-"

"You drive me crazy Yuki. Every rejection from you just makes me want to come closer and try harder."

"Get away from me!"

"Yuki," His change in tone caught her attention, "If you don't stop acting that way, no man is ever going to want you."

Her anger disappeared as she stared into his eyes, shocked by what he had said, "What do you mean?"

"You grow angry too quickly, you don't dress feminine enough, nor do you speak as though you are a lady. Men look for these things. I'm here trying to give you a chance; you won't come by many men who will desire you. There aren't many men in this world that desire a ninja for a wife. Men want a woman they can protect, not one that will overpower them."

His words were hitting Yukina hard.

_No one will want me? I'm not feminine enough? Is that why no boys had ever asked her out?_

He continued, "Men want a woman that is delicate in nature and kind with her words.

_Is that why Gaara was avoiding her now? He didn't want someone like her?_

"Be honest with me Yukina, have you ever had a boy ask you out?"

She shifted uncomfortably still thinking of Gaara, "No..."

_Why did she answer his question?_

"I didn't think so... let me be your boyfriend."

"If men aren't attracted to woman like me, then why are you so interested?"

"Maybe I just have a thing for women like you."

"How can I allow someone to be my boyfriend who doesn't respect me?" She shot at him.

"Men aren't required to respect women, we are required to protect them. Just as I protected you in the forest. A women's role is to respect her husband and do everything he says."

_Husband?_

Yukina felt the rage welling up in her again as well as a hurt she had never felt before, "I will not be ordered around by some man! If no one wants me then fine, but I'll never be with someone as disrespectful as you! Now get out of my way!"

She didn't care if she ended up alone in the world. If no man wanted her that was fine as long as she didn't have to be married to a man like this one.

He pushed himself forward onto his elbow so that their bodies were only centimeters apart, he placed his hand on her cheek, as she turned her head, tears threatening to overcome her, "I said leave me alone." She whimpered. She didn't want to be humiliated like this. This boy made her feel inferior, like she wasn't worth anything.

"Yukina-"

Kaito was suddenly torn away from her, "I suggest you do as she says." She heard a familiar voice growl. Yukina then saw Gaara. The rage in his features was a beautiful salvation to her agony. Kaito had fear in his eyes as both wrists had sand wrapped around them, holding him in place. He didn't dare to move or speak.

"Yukina, come here." Yukina willingly ran to Gaara's side. He then put his hand down releasing Kaito. He glared at the boy as one would glare at something that needed to be eradicated. He placed his hand on Yukina's lower back, guiding her back into the stadium. He had never made such a gesture before; he usually tried not to touch her. As they climbed the stairs Gaara removed his hand and they joined the others without a word.

She glanced at him curiously. His posture told her he was doing everything in his power to control his anger. He was teetering on the edge of control, the darkness of his heart threatening to consume him. Only a year ago he would have killed Kaito without hesitation and now he was fighting that urge, that animalistic instinct to tear anything apart that crossed him.

Sudden footsteps came from behind them.

"You will let him touch you! You'll run to him! That _monster_!" Yukina turned to see Kaito enraged, standing behind them, "He is hated by everyone because of all the people he has killed, you think _I'm_ rude and disrespectful! He has_ killed_ countless people in cold blood! His own father tried to kill him on several occasions because of the threat he brings to other people and you would run to him! He even killed the one person that may have tried to love him, his own moth-"

Kaito was suddenly punched in the face, followed by having sand wrap itself around his body, slamming him into the wall behind him. He dangled in the air, with sand around his wrists, ankles and throat. Yukina stood before him, panting, sand whirling itself around her body in an angry fury.

"Don't you ever call him that! He is not a monster!" She screamed. Kaito struggled for breath as the sand constricted. Yukina shook with fury as a hand touched her shoulder.

"Yukina." She turned to see Gaara shake his head at her, "Your match is next, don't waste your energy."

Looking back at Kaito's fearful expression she reluctantly let go and stalked towards the arena.

Sand whirled around her entire body as she stalked towards the proctor and her opponent. Both of them seemed to take a step back from her. The two males exchanged glances with one another before the proctor raised his hand.

"Begin!"

Yukina shot forward, closing the distance with her opponent in a matter of seconds. She slammed her fist into his face, with the full force of her sand behind it. He flew forward, but she didn't give him the chance to even hit the ground. She locked her sand around his feet, pulling him back towards her, landing another blow with her elbow. He skidded across the ground, before reclaiming his footing to stand. His body was shaking as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

He attempted an assault at her, but she ducked, planting her hands on the ground and swinging her leg to impact with his midsection. He doubled over in pain, she then grabbed him with her sand and pinned him to the far wall, pressing it against him.

He coughed up more blood, "I…forfeit."

The proctor jumped in the middle of the two and Yukina stopped.

_She wasn't a murder…she was just pissed._

The battle wasn't near long enough to have gotten her anger out. If Kaito was smart, he wouldn't be there when she got back.

To her surprise he had some sense left in him. He wasn't any where in site, but the expressions on her comrades faces told her she might have went a little far.

"Yuki?" Sota looked at her.

She could still feel the pent up anger inside of herself and knew it wasn't directed at anyone present. She had to calm herself down.

Yukina took a deep breath and steadied herself, "I'm alright Sota."

"I'm glad you didn't fight me like that!" Kankuro exclaimed, "And you were worried about me hurting her?" He looked to Gaara.

There was another thirty minute break between matches before the final one was to arrive.

"Our final match! Yukina versus Gaara!"

Yukina hadn't realized it until that point, but she and Gaara had started on the opposite ends of the sheet therefore leading to their having to face one another. They both proceeded towards the arena.

"I'm going to forfeit the match." Gaara spoke.

"What? No, you can't do that!" Yukina exclaimed.

"I won't fight you Yukina, I won't risk hurting you."

"Gaara, this is no different than one of our sparing matches. We just fight until the other one can't continue."

"Yes, but we've never taken our sparing matches that far."

"Gaara," Her change in tone caused him to turn his head, "Do this for me. It is my birthday after all."

The shock on his face when she left him made her giggle.

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**Hope you liked it!**

**Please leave a review, I love them!**


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